-Carmello Anthony left Syracuse after just one National Title season for the Orange(men).
A great NCAA tournament run can make a solid player into an overnight high NBA prospect. So, let's say one of Purdue's talented Sophomores gets on a hot streak. What would the team have to achieve for you to be A-OK with his hypothetical departure?
8 comments:
The poll doesn't seem to be working. But, for the record, my vote is: "NCAA Champion"
Good postgame video at the Oregonian website:
http://www.oregonlive.com/collegebasketball/index.ssf/2009/03/postgame_video_purdue_76_washi.html
JJ leaving would crush next season. Ergo, I would have to demand a National Championship for this scenario to be "ok" with me. For Moore or Hummel (just one, not both), a Final Four berth would probably leave me feeling fine.
Well, I'm okay with any of them leaving, simply because I'm slowly accepting that things work differently now and you can't expect someone to stay if he thinks he can strike it rich in the NBA.
I'm not sure that anyone is ready to jump, regardless of what happens in the tournament. Of course if Purdue does make the Elite 8, it'll mean that JJ held his own against Brockman and Thabeet; a Final Four appearance might add the Dozier/Taggart combination to that list.
I think Johnson could use another year of Big Ten play to prepare him for the NBA, but it'd be hard for him to stay after a run like that, particularly knowing that there's no guarantee they'd match that run next season.
I agree with Anon about the others. If one goes, hey, that stuff happens. If two go, well, there's always, um ... later.
My perspective on this has changed quite a bit. If a young person can be guaranteed millions of dollars by leaving early, I can't fault them. Too many stories exist of guys getting injured or for one reason or another losing their shot at succeeding at the next level.
All that said, anything less than a Final Four would make this a much more difficult pill to swallow. While nothing is certain about any of these guys leaving, whispers have now turned to talk about JJ, and if he leads Purdue past Thabeet and UConn, it'll get louder.
My hope is that these guys love being at Purdue and their parents value their children being educated- those factors can make a huge difference when it's decision time.
Wouldn't it be grand if in two weeks, one of the former Baby Boilers had become the national sports story because of what he and his team mates had just accomplished? What a great problem to have.
I'm stoked by all of the potential this group possesses.
I'm fine with him leaving...as I long as I can still run in his posse.
are you willing to move with his posse to Memphis, Oklahoma City or another "beautiful" locale?
If you're really friends with him, what do you think his ideal situation would be?
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