NBA Draft 2025

Chriscin33 said:
And he also painted himself into a corner now when it comes to the $$$. There are only so many chairs left before the music stops so I can’t imagine he will get top dollar. Simple supply and demand at this point but who knows, as they say in free agency, it only takes one.
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I do think he'll get top dollar because there's still money out there. I think its worse for the teams than the players. For RJ specifically, I'm not sure any of the remaining places will be great for his development compared to the NBA.

Some of the players and chairs out there are:
Darrion Williams
Neoklis Avaldas (top Euro guy)
Dame Sarr (top Euro guy)
Ben Henshall (top Aussie)
PJ Haggerty
Cedric Cowhard
Boogie Fland
Jamir Watkins
RJ Luis
Desmond Claude
Tahaad Pettiford
Yaxel Lendeborg

Some expected results from that:
Williams: Kansas
Avaldas: Virginia Tech (since they're promising high usage, a lot of minutes, and a starting spot)
Sarr: Duke (their pivot from Cowhard)
Henshall: unclear because of academics could be concern
Haggerty: NC State
Cowhard: NBA
Fland: Florida
Watkins: truly TBD
Luis: no one really knows
Claude: Alabama? Unclear because his visit got pushed
Pettiford: probably Auburn?
Yaxel: unclear

The teams that still have money are: Ole Miss, Kansas, Oregon (initially favored for Sarr), Auburn (if they lose Pettiford), Michigan (if they lose Yaxel), Alabama.

Its a nightmare roster building situation, but the players will still get paid.
 
Marillac2 said:
Absolutely. That was likely a huge factor as well. You have Sanon and Hopkins ready to jump for (presumably) team-friendly NIL deals, so you can't wait 8 weeks for RJ to decide and then pay him a king's ransom. I don't think Sanon and RJ could coexist, and I am almost certain the trio of Sanon-Hopkins-RJ couldn't coexist. It was either/or.
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It's an art to know when to take Rick seriously or literally or both. But when he said Bryce Hopkins replaced Luis, I took that seriously and literally.
 
Bird in the hand and allocation of resources. Plus sense RP wasn’t sure he could get through to him if he returned.

Regardless RJ played awesome this year save for the ending that left everyone a little sour. Competed his tail off, helped us to our best season in forever. I’m sure programs flush with cash will be fighting for his services if he plays because he’s a super-talent who could easily be a CPOY wherever he lands. And I will be rooting for him the rest of his career.

What my Miami guy told me, per the HS coach, is that what he saw in the ARK game wasn’t surprising in the least and people who know him a while were amazed Pitino was able to develop and motivate him to achieve the season he had last year.
 
dk423 said:
I do think he'll get top dollar because there's still money out there. I think its worse for the teams than the players. For RJ specifically, I'm not sure any of the remaining places will be great for his development compared to the NBA.

Some of the players and chairs out there are:
Darrion Williams
Neoklis Avaldas (top Euro guy)
Dame Sarr (top Euro guy)
Ben Henshall (top Aussie)
PJ Haggerty
Cedric Cowhard
Boogie Fland
Jamir Watkins
RJ Luis
Desmond Claude
Tahaad Pettiford
Yaxel Lendeborg

Some expected results from that:
Williams: Kansas
Avaldas: Virginia Tech (since they're promising high usage, a lot of minutes, and a starting spot)
Sarr: Duke (their pivot from Cowhard)
Henshall: unclear because of academics could be concern
Haggerty: NC State
Cowhard: NBA
Fland: Florida
Watkins: truly TBD
Luis: no one really knows
Claude: Alabama? Unclear because his visit got pushed
Pettiford: probably Auburn?
Yaxel: unclear

The teams that still have money are: Ole Miss, Kansas, Oregon (initially favored for Sarr), Auburn (if they lose Pettiford), Michigan (if they lose Yaxel), Alabama.

Its a nightmare roster building situation, but the players will still get paid.
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Well laid out post. I guess I was thinking that the teams can be more frugal/negotiate lower if they want since the amount of teams who would want his services would be limited.
 
dk423 said:
I really hope RJ just goes pro so there's no asterisk added to his legacy here.
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at this juncture... i don't think there Will nor Should be any *

If he had entered the Portal and Day 3 transferred to UConn.... yes... fans could have a right to feel a certain way.

He entered the Portal (great fallback) - has gone through the Draft combine... we've "Filled" our roster... cleaned our hands of any potential "messiness"...

Would have loved RJ to have run it back with Zuby... as with everyone that could have stayed... but such is College bball now
 
bucketshardy said:
at this juncture... i don't think there Will nor Should be any *

If he had entered the Portal and Day 3 transferred to UConn.... yes... fans could have a right to feel a certain way.

He entered the Portal (great fallback) - has gone through the Draft combine... we've "Filled" our roster... cleaned our hands of any potential "messiness"...

Would have loved RJ to have run it back with Zuby... as with everyone that could have stayed... but such is College bball now
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meh, I dunno. I'd definitely feel a certain type of way because he clearly didn't have a buy-in to be part of this roster, Pitino's coaching, and program as a whole. Compounding playing next year in college with the Arkansas game would give me mixed feelings.
 
dk423 said:
meh, I dunno. I'd definitely feel a certain type of way because he clearly didn't have a buy-in to be part of this roster, Pitino's coaching, and program as a whole. Compounding playing next year in college with the Arkansas game would give me mixed feelings.
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i hear ya.... i do... but he bought in "enough" to become our first BE POY in forever... BET MOP.... helped the team to the Regular Season and Tourney titles...

I get the potential mixed emotion now... May 2025.... but when this team is honored and they announce RJ's name in 15/20/15 years (whenever it will be).... everyone will be on their feet.
 
bucketshardy said:
i hear ya.... i do... but he bought in "enough" to become our first BE POY in forever... BET MOP.... helped the team to the Regular Season and Tourney titles...

I get the potential mixed emotion now... May 2025.... but when this team is honored and they announce RJ's name in 15/20/15 years (whenever it will be).... everyone will be on their feet.
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100%, no matter what his next move is.
 
bucketshardy said:
i hear ya.... i do... but he bought in "enough" to become our first BE POY in forever... BET MOP.... helped the team to the Regular Season and Tourney titles...

I get the potential mixed emotion now... May 2025.... but when this team is honored and they announce RJ's name in 15/20/15 years (whenever it will be).... everyone will be on their feet.
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Absolutely, but he may also be remembered -- in an ironic way -- as the third guy on the team.
 
bucketshardy said:
i hear ya.... i do... but he bought in "enough" to become our first BE POY in forever... BET MOP.... helped the team to the Regular Season and Tourney titles...

I get the potential mixed emotion now... May 2025.... but when this team is honored and they announce RJ's name in 15/20/15 years (whenever it will be).... everyone will be on their feet.
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Not sure at all. I see it very differently as I am sure many others do. Let’s see how this plays out. He will be remembered well and fondly if he stays in the draft.
 
For context, Dom Pointer was drafted at #53, higher than RJ is projected to go. One year in the G League and then off to Europe. IMO he had as much raw talent as RJ, without the benefit of being coached by Pitino. What he also didn't have was the chance to make $2 million or so in his senior year of college. I will be shocked if RJ stays in the draft, just hope he doesn't go to another Big East team.
 
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RJ should be remembered the same way St. John’s two other Big East Players of the Year are remembered. And that would be Chris Mullin and Walter Berry.
Team was 31-5, 20 and 0 at home, and 18-2 in the League. Why diminish a historic year? How many games did RJ clinch or win himself?
Yeah, he picked a bad day to have a bad day, but think his Coach did too.
 
lycidas said:
RJ should be remembered the same way St. John’s two other Big East Players of the Year are remembered. And that would be Chris Mullin and Walter Berry.
Team was 31-5, 20 and 0 at home, and 18-2 in the League. Why diminish a historic year? How many games did RJ clinch or win himself?
Yeah, he picked a bad day to have a bad day, but think his Coach did too.
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Suspect RJ will be remembered more in the way Shamorie Ponds is.
 
Redenbacher said:
For context, Dom Pointer was drafted at #53, higher than RJ is projected to go. One year in the G League and then off to Europe. IMO he had as much raw talent as RJ, without the benefit of being coached by Pitino. What he also didn't have was the chance to make $2 million or so in his senior year of college. I will be shocked if RJ stays in the draft, just hope he doesn't go to another Big East team.
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Dom had all the physical talent in the world, but RJ is exponentially more skilled.
 
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Marillac2 said:
Dom had all the physical talent on the world, but RJ is exponentially more skilled.
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If RJ is exponentially more skilled than Dom, then why are his draft prospects trending lower than Dom's? The competition in this years' draft cannot be that more challenging than Dom's year.
 
bucketshardy said:
i hear ya.... i do... but he bought in "enough" to become our first BE POY in forever... BET MOP.... helped the team to the Regular Season and Tourney titles...

I get the potential mixed emotion now... May 2025.... but when this team is honored and they announce RJ's name in 15/20/15 years (whenever it will be).... everyone will be on their feet.
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If you go back to school 1 more year and make 2 million or whatever for a year you are a winner plain and simple
 
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