Myron: I think Mbakwe will go pro after this year; suggests Rodney will too

Donate To GopherHole
tap said:
Please just leave-it's always speculation about Tubby leaving, Trevor leaving, Rodney leaving, Blake can't play point, no three point shooters, too big----it's always something negative. Remember he is a cheesehead and packer fan.
Click to expand...

Let's also remember that he's a Gopher's basketball REPORTER not a Gopher's Basketball FAN. Doesn't matter if he's from Wisconsin and graduated from Minnesota State-Mankato (or Mankato State--what do they call that school these days?), his JOB is to report and/or speculate about all things Gopher basketball, not as a fan but as a somewhat "neutral" party.

Fact of the matter is that most D-1 collegiate athletes have an eye towards professional athletics--not all have the opportunity or successfully attain that goal. The NBA does seem like it's become a "youth league" in recent years which means that Rodney may jump ship sooner than later. It also means that Trevor is approaching the "later" end of that time line.

Don't kill the messenger who in this case happens to be Myron.
 

If Rodney enters the draft, he will go undrafted. All he is an athlete at this point. He isn't even close to NBA material.
 

The NBA has become a youth league? While some of the best players in the NBA are younger compared to the majority, they were all very well established college players first.
 

If Rodney goes pro after this year, he'll be a 2nd round pick, have a 50/50 shot at making a roster, and be out of the league within 3 years.

If he stays for four years he'll be picked in the first half of the first round and have a good shot at having a solid career.
 

Trevor's a guy you would really like to come back for his senior year. Brings alot to the table and still can get better. I honestly could care less if rodney goes to the draft. Yes, his dunks are fun to watch but he brings not much else to the court. He's extremly frustrating to watch at times.
 


BleedGopher said:
During his chat today, someone asked Myron about Trevor and if he'll go pro after this year. Myron's response:

"I think he'll leave. Here are my reasons.

1. He's a senior in school .. an old man in NBA draft terms. He could improve next year and still take a hit because of his age.

2. No guarantees he averages a double-double next season. He's hot now. Might be his best chance.

3. He can make money doing this .. .even if he has to go overseas.

4. He's gone through a lot of drama over the last year."

Then someone asks who is more likely to leave for the pros: Rodney or Trevor, Myron's response:

"Rodney. Just because NBA scouts are tracking him. He has high-level tools. If he ends the year strong, he's gone."

Myron also thinks Al will return before the end of the season and that Walker is doing well.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/g...kD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUycaEacyU

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...

it would probably benefit them both to leave early because this yaers team is still decent but next years team could be rough. tubby was hoping to be in a situation with cobbs, devoe, royce, rodney, mbakwe/iverson/sampson where we would have been a top 5 team. instead we are going to be sitting with iverson, sampson, hollins, chip, mav(maybe rodney/mbakwe) all the drama and transfers may have put us in rebuilding mode for the next 2 years. but we can always look back and think about about what could have been!
 

stocker08 said:
The NBA has become a youth league? While some of the best players in the NBA are younger compared to the majority, they were all very well established college players first.
Click to expand...

If playing collegiate ball for a year or two is "well-established" I agree.
 

baseball_stud said:
Trevor's a guy you would really like to come back for his senior year. Brings alot to the table and still can get better. I honestly could care less if rodney goes to the draft. Yes, his dunks are fun to watch but he brings not much else to the court. He's extremly frustrating to watch at times.
Click to expand...

rodney is 20 yrs old and was more of a post than a guard in high school if i remember correctly. his upside is huge and i would love for him to come back. i think he could be a dominate g/sf next season.
 

I just don't see it but everyones entitled to their own opinion. Hopefully i'm wrong. I think trevors upside is huge though.
 



baseball_stud said:
I just don't see it but everyones entitled to their own opinion. Hopefully i'm wrong. I think trevors upside is huge though.
Click to expand...

mbakwe's game is always going to be what he does now, rodney could develop his ball handling and his shooting is much better imo than last year.
 

yeah but think how good trevor's game would be if he really polished up his post moves and down low offensive game and a more consistent jump shot. That to go along with his current rebounding prowess and blocked shot ability would be amazing.
 

baseball_stud said:
yeah but think how good trevor's game would be if he really polished up his post moves and down low offensive game and a more consistent jump shot. That to go along with his current rebounding prowess and blocked shot ability would be amazing.
Click to expand...

ya it would be amazing! I think if he did all of that he would be rookie of the year as well as an all star year after year. I think its more likely that neither becomes an nba legend, I just think there are a lot more mbakwe types than there are rodney types
 

myron on trevor & rodney, laughable.

to hear these mpls people talk about losing rodney or trevor to the nba is just laughable. neither of them are in a position to be drafted. they should both enter the draft but they will both be back. myron has no clue what it takes to make it in the nba. i've coached guys who made it into the league and both of them were head and shoulders more skilled than these two guys. trevor will have to be able to play away from the basket. he's a 4/3 at the next level. 16 - 18'
jumpers will have to be a part of his game in order to survive at that level. Rodney can't shoot a free throw and has no offensive game at all. both need college for another year but more importantly both need a spring and summer to work on thier individual game. they should shoot no less than 500 to 1,000 shots a day. seriously, no one outside of MN seriously believes that these guys are good enough to go right now. believe me. i'm not saying they wont try it but it will be a big mistake. Trevor needs to realize that handling the ball with both hands away from the basket will be a must becaue he's going to have to learn to drive it to the basket. what guys like myron need to understand is that the nba is full of great athletes, but those athletes are also fundamentally miles ahead of our two local lads. these guys need time to develop and this summer is going to be huge for them and thier individual game. don't panic people, i would be shocked if they go to the league. the nba does a good job of evaluating talent and they will let these guys know where they stand after spring workouts.
 



thiscouldbouryr said:
to hear these mpls people talk about losing rodney or trevor to the nba is just laughable. neither of them are in a position to be drafted. they should both enter the draft but they will both be back. myron has no clue what it takes to make it in the nba. i've coached guys who made it into the league and both of them were head and shoulders more skilled than these two guys. trevor will have to be able to play away from the basket. he's a 4/3 at the next level. 16 - 18'
jumpers will have to be a part of his game in order to survive at that level. Rodney can't shoot a free throw and has no offensive game at all. both need college for another year but more importantly both need a spring and summer to work on thier individual game. they should shoot no less than 500 to 1,000 shots a day. seriously, no one outside of MN seriously believes that these guys are good enough to go right now. believe me. i'm not saying they wont try it but it will be a big mistake. Trevor needs to realize that handling the ball with both hands away from the basket will be a must becaue he's going to have to learn to drive it to the basket. what guys like myron need to understand is that the nba is full of great athletes, but those athletes are also fundamentally miles ahead of our two local lads. these guys need time to develop and this summer is going to be huge for them and thier individual game. don't panic people, i would be shocked if they go to the league. the nba does a good job of evaluating talent and they will let these guys know where they stand after spring workouts.
Click to expand...

Who did you coach that made it into the league?
 

Gopherhole: Where the men are men, the women are men (except for GopherLady), and the everyone's a coach.
 

You guys have to think about what Trevor and Rodney are going through too. If I'm not mistaken, they both have a kid, and I'm sure it's not easy to support them while in college with no job. If they have to choose between going in the 2nd round this year versus MAYBE going in the 1st round next year, they may choose the early money.
 

mattw1067 said:
You guys have to think about what Trevor and Rodney are going through too. If I'm not mistaken, they both have a kid, and I'm sure it's not easy to support them while in college with no job. If they have to choose between going in the 2nd round this year versus MAYBE going in the 1st round next year, they may choose the early money.
Click to expand...

Good point about the two being fathers but consider this:

First round money is guaranteed, second round is not.
Sticking around and getting that degree might come in handy also.
 

To answers some of the questions on the board.

Traditionally, only about half of the second round picks even make the NBA.

People will bring up Daniel Orton as a player who averaged just 3 points and 3 rebounds per game and was still a first rounder. However, he was only the 29th pick and has yet to play a NBA game after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. Orton missed all of training camp with knee injuries, which have plagued him since high school.

There has to be plenty of questions on how long he will even last in the league and he is bigger and stronger than most players and was a McDonald All-American (not that that matters to NBA people) because on his lack of skills.

Rodney is smaller than the typical small forwards in the NBA and lacks the ballhandling and shooting skills of a shooting guard. He is shooting 44.4% from the line and 15.2% from three-point range this season and is averaging just 6.4 points per game.

Trevor is a beast inside, but again compared to most NBA power forwards, he is two to three inches smaller. He has a very limited offensive game, except for dunks. He needs to improve his free throw shooting and his foot work needs to get better as he travels a lot for a big man.

I write about the NBA Draft probably more than anyone in the country and I want to enjoy these two players as college players. They'll have time in the future to play pro ball, so let's let them enjoy their college days. However, they need a lot of work before they are ready to play in the NBA.

Chris Monter
 

I'm done pouting after the Indiana game

They'll have time in the future to play pro ball, so let's let them enjoy their college days. However, they need a lot of work before they are ready to play in the NBA.
Click to expand...

Hi Chris,

That's a great post. I thinks it's obvious to us and everyone else that they need a lot of work before, and if, they should go pro. Do you think Trevor and Rodney are aware of this?
 

station19 said:
I was going to post the same thing. Seems like many posters enjoy ripping the media more than savoring a Gopher victory.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Right. Obviously people care about it, or it wouldn't be discussed in forums like this or asked in Gopher-themed chats. You can't blame him for answering the question.

I know people are upset at the thought of losing these guys but its a valid discussion topic. I think the uniqueness of Rodney's situation makes it even more of a valid talker, since all you hear about are the scouts loving him, but all you see is mediocre-at-best performance.
 

seems to me with the guys in the B1G that are graduating this year that both Trevor and Rodney could really stand out next year and drastically improve their cachet
 

mbakwe reminds me of chuck hayes, who went undrafted but is the starting center for the rockets win yao ming is hurt which is always. Not great offesively but he does a lot of the dirty work. Mbakwe needs to look at chuck hayes and say that's how I am going to be in the league. Hayes is a much better passer though he doesn't use it that much in the nba.

Rodney Williams can't dribble or shoot. If you're 6'7 210 you're not playing in the nba unless you can fill it up from all over the floor. He has nba athleticism and nothing else. Most teams picking in the lottery take a proven scorer, a point guard or a big man. If he develops some offense he could leave after next year but right now there's no reason to draft him when you can pluck someone else out of the d league
 

hey myron do you know how many great athletes there are in the NBA? lots!!! now those in the nba also have some fundamentalls. not saying our boys wont but lets not put that kind of pressure on our boys. Rodney needs 1, maybe 2 more years and a lot of work in the off season to get to that level. Trevor needs a great summer to develop some perimeter skills and another year to show the scouts that he can play 15' from the basket. 6'8 post players with no perimeter skills don't succeed at the next level. my main question to myron is have you talked to one nba scout that you could once use in your stories as reference that says either one of them is nba ready? please. go to a wolves game myron and watch those guys play.
 

Although I think Mbakwe would be stupid to leave early, I think he might. Especially if it is true that he most likely won't graduate. Mbakwe is miles ahead of Rodney in terms of NBA readiness, but I still don't think Mbakwe would make an NBA roster right away. Any big in the NBA can dunk. That's all Trevor brings to the table, really the only other things that are note worthy for NBA scouts would be how hard he plays and his rebounding which is definetely above average but not in a class of it's own or anything.

Rodney. Do we even have to talk about him going pro? He has potential but I think it's insane to think that someone who scores 6 a game, shoots 15% form 3, 44% from the charity stripe, and has 1.1 assist/turnover ratio is going to go pro instead of staying in school to polish his game.

Crazy if either of them went pro, but I'd love to see them stick around in MN! Go gophers!
 

NurumbiCongo said:
For the first time in Tubby Smith's tenure at Minnesota, the Gophers might have a few players who will consider their pro options before graduation.

Ralph Sampson III has the height, the skill set and pedigree to play at the next level. We're all waiting, however, for him to put it all together and add a little aggressiveness to his game so he can fulfill his potential. A big year by Sampson will certainly get the scouts talking even more than they are now. Plus, consider guys like Hassan Whiteside, Jerome Jordan and even, Cole Aldrich. The year before they hit the NBA radar, few knew much about them. It doesn't take much for a big man to raise his draft stock.

If Devoe Joseph adds some muscle to his frame and builds on his All-Tournament worthy performance in March's Big Ten tournament, he'll have a shot at the next level. Down the stretch, Joseph ran the team. I think he's a point at the next level, if he gets there. And I think the Gophers will play him at point guard next season, too. He needs to be consistent. But he has raw skills that were on display during that magical run in the Big Ten tourney. He's not there yet, but he could be the next Big Ten guard to land on the NBA map.

Rodney Williams should be a different player next season. During a short stretch his freshman year, he lived up to the premature hype about his pro potential. He was a top-5 pick on nbadraft.net's 2011 mock draft at the start of the season. But he struggled throughout the year and didn't play much during the Big Ten season. He should've redshirted. But when he was on the floor, he pulled off some above-the-rim maneuvers that are hard to describe. He needs to prove that he can handle the ball, hit a 15-foot jump shot and defend on the perimeter. But he has all the makings of a poor man's Wesley Johnson. If he cracks the starting rotation, a possibility with Minnesota's lack of depth at small forward, and plays well during the Big Ten season, Williams will move up on a lot of real NBA draft boards.

Different people say different things about Trevor Mbakwe. A few days after he signed with the Gophers in 2009, he told me that he'd already talked to Tubby Smith about going pro after his junior season. Legal issues prevented him from playing last year and they might keep him off the floor next season, too, depending on the outcome of his trial in June. One person close to the program told me that he doesn't think Mbakwe will start for the team. Others think he'll lead the Gophers to big victories over their toughest opponents. The 6-8, 240-pound forward certainly has an NBA frame. If he showcases pro-level skills next year, he'll get NBA looks, too.
Click to expand...

When Myron P wants to report facts great! When he wants to talk about who is NBA ready or who should start, forget it! He's out of his league - time to tune out.
 


Mbakwe is gone. As I've posted ad nauseum, there is no incentive for him to return. Those who think he'd benefit from another year to "polish his post moves & jumper" are either so old school they've lost touch with reality or are such homers that their thinking is skewed.

If I was Tubby, I'd advise Trevor to go pro. At 22, Trevor is an "old man" by NBA standards. What could he do next season to improve on this season? The NBA is happy to pay raw talent to sit on the bench while they develop jump shots & post moves. Even if he never see's the NBA, he could make millions in Europe starting next season & by 30 he'll be set for life. Dude has a family to support, it's a no-brainer imo.

If I was Tubby I'd advise Rodney to stay one more year. By the same criteria he could be drafted on athletic ability alone & develop w/ a pay check under NBA coaching, but I just don't see him as being mature enough right now.

Trevor's a man, he's 22, he's traveled, he has a family to support. Rodney's still a kid & is completely unready emotionally for the NBA from everything I've seen at this point.
 

howeda7 said:
It's so arbitrary though. Baseball players aren't generally past AA at 22-23 years old, but basketball players have no room to improve at the same age?
Click to expand...

Tell that to the horde of Latino players falsifying Birth Certificates to make them appear younger than they are. A 19 year old who's 6'3" 200lbs and can hit the long ball is far less draftable than a 16 year old who's 6'3" 200lbs & can hit the long ball. I lived in the Dominican Republic & all the kids know, if you're a late bloomer, you better get a doctored Birth Certificate.
 

lakesgopher said:
mbakwe's game is always going to be what he does now, rodney could develop his ball handling and his shooting is much better imo than last year.
Click to expand...

Good post. Trevor has hit his ceiling imo. He's an undersized NBA PF who's going to make a squad based on his physique & overpowering physical presence (I'm thinking Gary Trent) & that won't be enhanced after another season with the Gophers. Maybe he's not an NBA player at all (?), but a guy can make a nice living overseas. I'm not thinking Trevor is Australian league material where guys make $62k a year. I'm thinking Real Madrid, Inter-Milan where guys are making a fortune & live/travel in luxury throughout Europe.

Rodney on the other hand is not going to be a bruising PF, he's going to be an athletic wing & as a wing in the NBA (or abroad) you have to be able to shoot & handle the rock confidently. Rodney would really benefit from another year I think, mostly because I see a huge difference in confidence. Rodney looks a little scared/lost at the Big-10 level, Trevor owns these guys & he knows it. i.e. If you played scared at the Big-10 level, you need to stay until you've got it mastered. Trevor has his role mastered, Rodney does not.
 

thiscouldbouryr said:
hey myron do you know how many great athletes there are in the NBA? lots!!! now those in the nba also have some fundamentalls. not saying our boys wont but lets not put that kind of pressure on our boys. Rodney needs 1, maybe 2 more years and a lot of work in the off season to get to that level. Trevor needs a great summer to develop some perimeter skills and another year to show the scouts that he can play 15' from the basket. 6'8 post players with no perimeter skills don't succeed at the next level. my main question to myron is have you talked to one nba scout that you could once use in your stories as reference that says either one of them is nba ready? please. go to a wolves game myron and watch those guys play.
Click to expand...

Good points but keep in mind that those 1 or 2 years of 'work' will not guarantee those needed skills. Trvor and Rodney may very well have worked extremely hard on those skills the last two years.

Will an off season of practice make Colt a 3pt threat.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom