Myron: Tubby encouraged RS3 and Trevor to test NBA waters

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BleedGopher

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Myron tweet:

"A source close to the program told me that Tubby Smith has encouraged both Trevor Mbakwe and Ralph Sampson III to test the NBA waters."

"Sampson and Mbakwe would get the feedback they both need to make the best decisions about their futures. Makes sense."

Go Gophers!!
 



I kind of chuckle at the "undersized" knock on Mbakwe. A couple of former #1 picks are both 6'9'' (Kenyon Martin & Elton Brand), a mere inch taller than Mbakwe. Granted, Trevor will never score like Brand, but he'll definitely have enough offense to warrant a roster spot in the Association some day. Mbakwe has so many tools to build on: Rebounding, running the floor, adequate passer and, by the way, he isn't afraid of the ball. He'll learn a few more moves and score 8 to 10 points per if he's on a team with decent guards who can put the ball where it needs to be. I think the collective bargaining mess might ensure that he sticks around, and for that I'm thankful, but I believe he'll be a 20 minute per game PF in the NBA in three or four years. (I think he'd fit in nicely in Denver when K-Mart exits.)
 

I definitely think that he'll get a spot in the NBA. He'll never be a star, but if he works hard enough and lands in the right situation he can be an eighth or ninth player. Sampson, no way.
 


Trevor has some tools, but will need to add some post moves other than a dunk or lay-up to make the jump to the NBA. He has a chance to do that at MN next season, but based on the recent reports, it is unlikely that he will take that approach.
 

Love someone comparing Mbakwe to Brand and Martin.

You can get by being undersized if you can bring several elite skills to the table, which Brand and Martin both did. Mbakwe is elite at one basketball skill - rebounding. He is average-to-terrible at any other aspect you choose. I'm not saying he can't refine those things over the course of the next season (if he wisely chooses to come back), but that's where he's at right now.

Brand and Martin were both #1 overall picks. Mbakwe would be extremely lucky to get drafted at all. Please engage your brain before pressing that submit button.
 

Trevor may be 6-7 and it this stage isn't close to Brand or Martin in ability.The thing that bothers me about him after one year is he hasn't made any clutch plays at the end of games.In his defense he hasn't had guards but he has had a chances to put us in a postion to win in the last ten games or so.Brand and Marten won a lot of games.
 

If TM really wants to play in the NBA, he needs another year to get a look.

In the past 4 seasons, he has only played one year at a high level after sitting out a season, one year JUCO and injured at Marquette. He needs more PT.

TM did improve his FT shooting as the season progressed hitting 69% the last 10 games which gives me reason to think that he can improve in other areas.

If he leaves, which I think he will, he ends up overseas.
 



Tubby's encouragement for these guys is the right thing to do. These guys will, therefore, be told by the real experts the what's, where's, when's and why's the things they need to work on, despite what we novices think...Both will come back for next year, work, improve, and shine. The good Dr.Don has issued his prescription.


Go Gophers!!!
 

They will be told what to work on, probably the same things Tubby has told them to work on. BTW, maybe all our guards and the incoming ones should go to a couple PG camps this summer and see who floats to the top.
 

I think Tubby told them to explore the draft and NBA. Just as DrDon said, they will get feedback from 'experts' who will tell them what they need to improve. Both need another year at this level.
 

Don't worry, the Gophs have plenty of frontcourt depth to absorb the loss of TM. According to Sid, the best frontcourt player on the roster this year was......wait for it.....wait for it....Eliott Eliason.
 



dpodoll68 said:
Please engage your brain and consider WWDPDP (what would dpodoll68 post) before pressing that submit button.
Click to expand...

Fixed it for you.

He expressed his/her opinion on an anonymous board, and you do the same...ad nauseam.
 

Love it, U.U. I only brought up K.Martin and E.Brand because they aren't that much taller than T.Mbakwe and yet so many people harp on his undersized issue. I certainly don't think T.Mb gets drafted high if he declares, but I do think his rebounding and transition tools, alone, will win him a job. I also agree with those guys who mention how little basketball that he's actually played. He's got the ability to grow and develop from a solid foundation.
 

Art Vandelay said:
Don't worry, the Gophs have plenty of frontcourt depth to absorb the loss of TM. According to Sid, the best frontcourt player on the roster this year was......wait for it.....wait for it....Eliott Eliason.
Click to expand...

I can believe that. I think Eliason and Walker will prove to be much better players than Iverson and Sampson. Still I'd miss Sampson. He has developed a much better touch around the basket.
 

Both players can be on NBA teams if they work at it. Did everyone forget about Mark Madsen, who not only made an NBA team, but played 9 years? If Mad Dog can do it, RS3 and Mbakwe can do it!

All that said, hope to see them both in Gopher unis next year.
 

TheMetroTheFaust said:
I kind of chuckle at the "undersized" knock on Mbakwe. A couple of former #1 picks are both 6'9'' (Kenyon Martin & Elton Brand), a mere inch taller than Mbakwe. Granted, Trevor will never score like Brand, but he'll definitely have enough offense to warrant a roster spot in the Association some day. Mbakwe has so many tools to build on: Rebounding, running the floor, adequate passer and, by the way, he isn't afraid of the ball. He'll learn a few more moves and score 8 to 10 points per if he's on a team with decent guards who can put the ball where it needs to be. I think the collective bargaining mess might ensure that he sticks around, and for that I'm thankful, but I believe he'll be a 20 minute per game PF in the NBA in three or four years. (I think he'd fit in nicely in Denver when K-Mart exits.)
Click to expand...

Trevor should stick around for another year & work on his jumper is laughable to me. NBA teams are more than willing to take unrefined athletes & develop them. fwiw, People said Shaq needed to stick around another season & work on his free throws too.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
Trevor should stick around for another year & work on his jumper is laughable to me. NBA teams are more than willing to take unrefined athletes & develop them. fwiw, People said Shaq needed to stick around another season & work on his free throws too.
Click to expand...

What's laughable is you comparing a #1 draft pick, guaranteed multimillionaire to Trevor's situation in any fashion. As it stands now, Trevor would be fortunate to make the NBA Development League roster ($12000 to $24000 a season). I would take another year and see if he can't crack late first round and some guaranteed serious money.
 

Tubby did the same with Tollackson and Coleman when he came in. It is what Tubby does with his players.
 

MaxyJR1 said:
Tubby did the same with Tollackson and Coleman when he came in. It is what Tubby does with his players.
Click to expand...

Nobody is question them testing the water, it's if Mbakwe would be have a better chance at the NBA if he worked on his game for one more season at the college level. Right now he has a very slim chance to get into the NBA, so the answer is yes for me.
 

>>If he leaves, which I think he will, he ends up overseas.<<

To determine Trevor's plan, simply watch his class attendance record...especially now that the season's over. If he ain't attending, he ain't returning.
 

Gopher4Life said:
To determine Trevor's plan, simply watch his class attendance record...especially now that the season's over. If he ain't attending, he ain't returning.
Click to expand...

I believe he only has a few credits left to wrap up his bachelors degree, so that would be unlikely.
 

Gopher4Life said:
>>If he leaves, which I think he will, he ends up overseas.<<

To determine Trevor's plan, simply watch his class attendance record...especially now that the season's over. If he ain't attending, he ain't returning.
Click to expand...

1) How do you propose to "watch his class attendance record"?

2) It's been said for a long time that Trevor is on track to graduate this spring. If this is true, even if we could "watch his class attendance record", it's not indicative of anything, because I'm fairly certain a person isn't going to stop attending classes when they are 2 months shy of a degree.
 

9194Gophs said:
What's laughable is you comparing a #1 draft pick, guaranteed multimillionaire to Trevor's situation in any fashion. As it stands now, Trevor would be fortunate to make the NBA Development League roster ($12000 to $24000 a season). I would take another year and see if he can't crack late first round and some guaranteed serious money.
Click to expand...

Fortunate to make an NBDL roster? Really?

No one's going to draft him for his shooting touch, not this year, not next, not the year after. He's proven everything he needed to prove in the Big-10. Clearly he can bang & play with the biggest, most physical players in college basketball. He's already a little old by NBA rookie standards (in a league that drafts on potential), he's got mouths to feed...right now & what if....he blows out a knee next season? Then what? Screw that, declare for the NBA now, if he doesn't catch on with a team, go overseas & get paid to work on your shooting, then come back to the NBA. Or stay overseas? A guy can make a damn fine living playing in Spain, France, Germany, Israel, etc.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
Fortunate to make an NBDL roster? Really?
Click to expand...

Yes.

Costa Rican Gopher said:
He's already a little old by NBA rookie standards (in a league that drafts on potential), he's got mouths to feed....
Click to expand...

Did you take this quote directly from Moreon? And mouths to feed? His boy isn't starving and wouldn't starve next year if he decided to play one more year of college basketball and shoot for the big-time. Nice drama Spree.

Costa Rican Gopher said:
go overseas & get paid to work on your shooting, then come back to the NBA. Or stay overseas? A guy can make a damn fine living playing in Spain, France, Germany, Israel, etc.
Click to expand...

How many guy's his age go to Europe and make it back to the NBA? Almost none. One more year of college is needed if he wants a shot to make it big.
 

>>How do you propose to "watch his class attendance record"?<<

Beat reporters do a lot of sillier things.

Congo,

If he isn't attending, he has other priorities and he won't be returning for another season. Bet on it.
 

Gopher4Life said:
>>How do you propose to "watch his class attendance record"?<<

Beat reporters do a lot of sillier things.
Click to expand...

I would seriously like to know how you propose that anyone would find out such information without hiring a private investigator. There is no such thing as a "class attendance record" to "watch". I'm not sure whether you attended college, but professors don't take attendance. Short of espionage, I fail to see how one would even ascertain this information.

Gopher4Life said:
If he isn't attending, he has other priorities and he won't be returning for another season. Bet on it.
Click to expand...

I would be willing to bet the remainder of my future earnings that he is attending class and remains on track to graduate. I know he is no Einstein, but dropping out of school less than 2 months away from graduating is so unfathomably stupid that it's not even worth discussing.
 

dpodoll68 said:
I would be willing to bet the remainder of my future earnings that he is attending class and remains on track to graduate. I know he is no Einstein, but dropping out of school less than 2 months away from graduating is so unfathomably stupid that it's not even worth discussing.
Click to expand...

Does "on track to graduate" mean you would bet on him graduating after this spring semester? I might be up for a wager. Don't want to do the remainder of future earnings thing... (1) I don't know how much you bring in and (2) I make more than FOT. Plus, I don't know any specifics of his academics other than he left Miami-Dade while classes were in session and had to do a bunch of online work before starting at the U... but it would be such a silly bet that I'd like to put down something. 20? He graduates this spring, you win.. he doesn't graduate this spring, I win?
 

Gopher Warrior said:
Does "on track to graduate" mean you would bet on him graduating after this spring semester? I might be up for a wager. Don't want to do the remainder of future earnings thing... (1) I don't know how much you bring in and (2) I make more than FOT. Plus, I don't know any specifics of his academics other than he left Miami-Dade while classes were in session and had to do a bunch of online work before starting at the U... but it would be such a silly bet that I'd like to put down something. 20? He graduates this spring, you win.. he doesn't graduate this spring, I win?
Click to expand...

A rare misstep by DP!

I realize now that I worded that poorly.

What I should've said was:

"If he is on track to graduate this spring (as has been reported), I would be willing to bet the remainder of my future potential earnings that he is currently attending class faithfully."

My bad.
 

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