SHAMORI PONDS DRAFT PROJECTION & SIMON ???

[quote="PharmDJohnnie11" post=354226]Shamorie needs to fire whoever his agent is. Obviously the league wasn't too high on him to begin with because he wasn't drafted, but how do they let him sign with the Rockets? At least get him to a summer league team where he can actually play his natural position..... The Rockets summer league team is just a bunch of mercenaries out to get their own. This has gotta be one of the least ideal situations he could have possibly gone to.[/quote]

He hired a guy who had never repped a basketball player before. I remember when he announced it I checked out their site and basketball was the one sport they had no representation in. Speaks volumes
 
I still wish Slick nothing but the best obviously, but so far (hopefully it changes) he looks like he doesn't belong unfortunately. I think the advent of social media with thousands of yes men, I mean followers in these players' ears warps their true sense of their abilities. How many times do we see "GOAT" or other such things posted even on solid but not great players' pages? Then they get the nice cars somehow and the Rolex and they think they've already made it before they actually have. To make it at the NBA level you need top notch nutrition, top notch physical training, speed, strength, and a 100% commitment. Even with that some don't make it. Confidence is good but too much of it can result in guys sitting back and expecting greatness instead of earning it. This is not an attack on Slick, I'm talking players in general but unfortunately I do think he was affected by this as well. Just keeping it real.
 
Maybe his future is overseas and not in the NBA, but he really left college a year early. I'd give him time to learn what he needs to do to prepare for the next level. I'll be rooting for him wherever he plays. He was a very good Johnnie.
 
Unfortunately, I agree with the general consensus about Ponds Summer League performance. He and his agent really should have made clear that they only want to be somewhere where he'll be the primary ball handler on the court. That's his future in the league if he has one. Because he's not running point, Clements is handling the ball, jacking up a crazy amount of shots and stole the show while Shamorie camped out in the corner and never got a chance to get into a flow.

He very well may be destined to play overseas. No shame in that and he can make a good living if he has the right mental make up for it. A lot of young guys don't. Unless he plays the best ball of his life in training camp he's not making the roster. I think if he really commits to getting into shape (it's clear from the games that he's still not in NBA shape) and finds a G-league team that will let him play as a true PG he can work his way into the league but it's going to take a level of dedication and determination that we haven't seen from him yet.

I'm rooting for him. Hall of Fame Johnnie.
 
[quote="Moose" post=354227][quote="PharmDJohnnie11" post=354226]Shamorie needs to fire whoever his agent is. Obviously the league wasn't too high on him to begin with because he wasn't drafted, but how do they let him sign with the Rockets? At least get him to a summer league team where he can actually play his natural position..... The Rockets summer league team is just a bunch of mercenaries out to get their own. This has gotta be one of the least ideal situations he could have possibly gone to.[/quote]

He hired a guy who had never repped a basketball player before. I remember when he announced it I checked out their site and basketball was the one sport they had no representation in. Speaks volumes[/quote]

Don't blame the agent......this is all on Ponds. No one forced him to leave school early, and no one forced him to sign with the Rockets. He made his own decision, and now he has to deal with the consequences.
 
[quote="Eric Williamson" post=354286][quote="Moose" post=354227][quote="PharmDJohnnie11" post=354226]Shamorie needs to fire whoever his agent is. Obviously the league wasn't too high on him to begin with because he wasn't drafted, but how do they let him sign with the Rockets? At least get him to a summer league team where he can actually play his natural position..... The Rockets summer league team is just a bunch of mercenaries out to get their own. This has gotta be one of the least ideal situations he could have possibly gone to.[/quote]

He hired a guy who had never repped a basketball player before. I remember when he announced it I checked out their site and basketball was the one sport they had no representation in. Speaks volumes[/quote]

Don't blame the agent......this is all on Ponds. No one forced him to leave school early, and no one forced him to sign with the Rockets. He made his own decision, and now he has to deal with the consequences.[/quote]

I never blamed the agent.
My feelings regarding Ponds haven’t exactly been hidden
 
I will always be appreciative for Shamorie staying home and he was a very good player for us for 3 years. Wish him the best, but for that to happen he has to accept the fact that he is not a superstar and needs to get in shape and work his behind off.
 
Shamorie Ponds
@ShamorieP
Time 2 get back to work! Haven’t been playing like myself.. Gone get myself together & Bounce back!
 
In the end, Ponds is of course responsible for his own choices, including what agent he decides to hire. However, that doesn't mean we can't have empathy for him. These guys are so young. Ponds just turned 21. And while that is certainly an adult age where you have to accept repercussions for poor decisions I think we would all agree that it's the stage of adulthood when you're at your most naive. I'm almost 37 and anyone reading this who's older than me probably knows my current level of naivety better than I do.

Being a professional athlete seems crazy to me. It's one of the few occupations when you're at a very high earning potential that early in life (hopefully early of course). I have no idea if this is true, but there's a good chance this is the first time Shamorie has had to deal with signing a contract for money. You're putting a massive amount of trust in your agent. I had no idea (as Moose mentioned ) that he signed with an agent who hadn't represented basketball players before. That's a really interesting piece of information. The role of an agent is to get you jobs and guide you through negotiations. I wouldn't want to trust my future to someone who hasn't guided successful players before. I was once told that an agent's first client should be someone who has no other choice (I'm in a different field but believe it still applies) Don't let someone use your career as a training ground for theirs. Shamorie comes off cool but he's a young guy who may be intimidated in a conference room/office setting. The kid is a baller who just wants to get on the court and ball. He trusted a guy to put him in a position to succeed and it appears that guy failed him. He may look back in 15 years and realize he had better options. For that I have empathy because I relate.
 
My guess is that most top agents go after players who are going to earn NBA salaries. For Ponds there could have been better choices, but ...
 
This is where the connections Mullin & Richmond should have been able to help. Maybe they tried or he didn't ask, but signing with a football agency breaking into NBA is odd. The agent had a few NBA guys before and Jaylen Nowell also signed with him. just would have expected the team to sign would get him some decent minutes during summer league at the the position he'd be best at.

Still, no excuse for many of those missed 3's and missed FG's.

Really hope he pulls it together and makes some cash for him & his family. Gotta root for a kid from Brooklyn.
 
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Anyone stop to think that maybe the Rockets had a competition for summer PG minutes and Clemons and Chiozza beat Ponds out? Those summer leagues are extremely cutthroat, every player except the #1’s are fighting for their NBA lives; no players are “handed” anything.
 
Unfortunately for Ponds, his naturally ability made him a star in HS and at SJU. But natural ability can only take you so far. Dedication, work ethic, and mental fortitude are required to push beyond. Just look at Simon. He may not have the skills, but when compared to Ponds, its pretty obvious who's working harder. It's obvious who's not resting on his laurels.

Looking back at Ponds SJU career, the Duke game at Duke, now seems like a forecast of what his career will be. He appeared lazy, disinterested, and was obviously bothered by pro-level talent. He was out classed. Out played.

Even the advice Mullin gave him, of having to work harder that he ever has to make a team, is a clear indication of Ponds work ethic.

Hopefully the summer league is a wake-up call for him. Something needs to click for him. And it needs to click pretty quickly.
 
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Needs to get in the weight room and adopt a more intense mindset. Should be doing leg squats three times a weak until he can gain some explosiveness.

Also needs to wake up, everyday, just to eat and breathe basketball. Drop the "slick" title and become a hard-nosed, fundamentally sound, high energy guy. If he does that, combined with his talent, he'll give himself a shot.

Otherwise, he will remain "slick" and make decent money overseas. Either outcome is not a bad life. I think Ponds is a good kid.......hope he dedicates himself.
 
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Whenever I think of Shamorie the first thing I remember is the game where he left the ball at half court in an attempt to show up the refs. Mullin walked on the court and picked up the ball. That sequence said volumes to me.
 
NBA Summer League today
Knicks vs Wizards at 6
Bulls vs. Magic at 8
Rockets vs Nuggets at 10

All on NBA TV
 
redmen4life, you are absolutely correct. The Duke game was the beginning of the end for Shamorie in a St. John's uniform. It seems the results of that game, which had the Duke Freshmen point guard totally outplay Ponds, negatively affected his play from that point forwards.
 
Tonight he had 13pts, 3rebs, 3asts on 4-11 shooting. Sadly this is by far his best performance of the summer league.

I honestly feel bad for him. I see Myles Powell and all the hype he has coming into next season and just can't help but think of if he stayed. Instead of being one of the best players in the country next season in college he's going to be getting paid peanuts in the G-League or going overseas.
 
Like I said from the start pillsbury dough boy Ponds didn’t have a chance in hell of being drafted & unless he suddenly changed ALL his bad habits and got in shape he MIGHT make a roster as the 12th man. Obviously none of that happened & he will be on his way to Europe or the G league. What a waste of talent. Too bad he didn’t get the chance to play for Iron Mike because he would have taken none of his shit and had him in the best shape of his life unlike mello Mullin & his inept staff.

Sad.
 
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