List of Guys who Should Come Back

[DanTown8587]

I am not saying that these guys would not be high picks or good players, but I think their NBA careers would benefit greatly from coming back to college for one more year. An example the past few years would be Patrick O'Bryant, yes he was a top 10 pick, but has his career been better off with him in the league than in college?

1. Chase Buddinger G/F Arizona
He can come back, improve the small things (get his FT shooting back and rebounding totals) and show the NBA he can be a go to guy. Plus, Arizona has a very nice recruiting class coming in and they would probably be a top 10 team with him and Hill coming back.

2. Donte Greene F Syracuse
Here is a guy who will be a lottery pick most likely, but if he came back he would have a much better career. He needs to improve creating his own shot, posting up and making three point shots. If he can come back, get 19-8, shoot about 48% from the floor and 38% from three, he would be an impact rookie. As it stands now, I don't think he will get the chance to improve like that in the league.

3. DeAndre Jordan C Texas A&M
This guy could be the top player to come out of this class, but he might need some college seasoning. He reminds me a lot of Andrew Bynum when Bynum came into the league, but Bynum was in a perfect scenario. He was not asked to start, create offense, or be the face of the Lakers; instead he was asked to just keep progressing along with Kareem. Since its doubtful Jordan will get that type of scenario to become better, he should improve his game in college.

4. Russell Westbrook G UCLA
I think the love for Westbrook has fallen off a little bit (for some reason NBAdraft.net has him higher than Mayo), but Westbrook needs that one final year of school. He has to prove he can run the point and be a focal point on offense, because teams do not take lottery picks for glue guys. He can have a career much like a Raja Bell, but before that can happen, he needs to improve his three point shooting and prove he isn't a one year wonder.

5. Darell Arthur and Brandon Rush PF, G/F Kansas
These two guys both have a hand and hand relationship. Both play on an incredibly stacked Kansas team, but they do not play with the consistency game to game that is necessary. These two guys could come back, improve consistency and then show they are consistent enough to play in the league.

[GJense4181]

I have a feeling that OJ Mayo's draft stock is much lower than we are aware of. Has he been a better college player than Nick Young was last year for the Trojans? Debateable, really.
If I were him I'd stay in school for another season and prove to scouts that I can a) score a boat-load as a SG AND lead USC to wins, or b) refine my point guard skills and solidify my status as a 6'5" point guard.

[ClipperDomination]

That's a very good list. Good stuff.

Love should come back for another year, but he won't. He could be a high lottery pick next year, compared to this year, where he's probably a late lottery pick.

[DanTown8587]

I have a feeling that OJ Mayo's draft stock is much lower than we are aware of. Has he been a better college player than Nick Young was last year for the Trojans? Debateable, really.
If I were him I'd stay in school for another season and prove to scouts that I can a) score a boat-load as a SG AND lead USC to wins, or b) refine my point guard skills and solidify my status as a 6'5" point guard.

Watch any USC games lately? 11 of the last 13 he has had at least 20 points, getting at least 30 twice and has been playing the off guard lately. Mayo is not slipping, its just people (like yourself) over criticizing an all Pac 10 player.

And if Mayo had Gabe Pruitt playing the point all year (as Young had), Mayo would be tearing the league up as a catch and shoot/slasher that he really is. Mayo is not a great PG, rather a great SG.

[DanTown8587]

That's a very good list. Good stuff.

Love should come back for another year, but he won't. He could be a high lottery pick next year, compared to this year, where he's probably a late lottery pick.

Thats true about Love, but really he has proven he can score for his size, so the only thing he would come back to do is get in shape, something he can do just as easily over the summer in the league.

[Wade2k6]

I think Jordon should be #1. If he comes back, he has the potential to be the #1 pick in next years draft, if he can put his game together and stay consistent.

[DanTown8587]

I think Jordon should be #1. If he comes back, he has the potential to be the #1 pick in next years draft, if he can put his game together and stay consistent.

I didnt mean to make it a list of guys 1-5 who should come back, but just a list of guys who should.

[Wade2k6]

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I didnt mean to make it a list of guys 1-5 who should come back, but just a list of guys who should.

Ohh, my fault then. I'd probably agree with that list then.

[GJense4181]

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Watch any USC games lately? 11 of the last 13 he has had at least 20 points, getting at least 30 twice and has been playing the off guard lately. Mayo is not slipping, its just people (like yourself) over criticizing an all Pac 10 player.

And if Mayo had Gabe Pruitt playing the point all year (as Young had), Mayo would be tearing the league up as a catch and shoot/slasher that he really is. Mayo is not a great PG, rather a great SG.

No. I haven't. I don't have time to closely follow every single first-round prospect and all 30 of my favorite NBA teams. Forgive me.

I criticized nothing. I commented on his draft stock, and suggested that staying an extra season could improve it for either of two reasons.

By the way, the first legitimate shooting guard drafted in 2007 was Nick Young at 16. In the weak draft that was 2006, it was Brandon Roy at #6. In 2005 it was Rashad McCants at #14. In 2004 it was Kirk Snyder at 16. and so on.
Point guards have been climbing up draft boards recently (Conley 4, Deron/Paul/Felton 3/4/5, Livingston 4, Harris 5, Williams 2) and combo guards (Gordon 3, Wade 5, Wagner 6) tend to get drafted higher than straight-up SGs, as I have mentioned.
There is no denying that OJ Mayo is an elite scorer. However, expects to be drafted *high* as a strict SG, he needs to hope for a weak draft OR somehow prove that his leadership and attitude have been underrated up to this point. Otherwise, he can retain his combo guard status and stay in the 5-10 range he's currently in, or become a pure*er* "tall" point guard and get drafted top 3.

Those are his options, based entirely off of recent draft trends. Staying another year could be in his best interests.

[SactownHrtBrks8]

Mayo's on a lot of the top peoples radar. He's one of the top players in college basketball. People look to much at his flaws. He's going to be a star in the NBA. He's built for the NBA. Plus he's a 20 year old freshman, his stock is high wither people like to admit it or not... i think all these people hate so he can drop to your team in the late lottery

[Canomad]

call me crazy but i think rose needs 1 more year of seasoning.

[hard49]

DeAndre Jordan should jump. That Texas A&M staff is not going to help him one bit.

[Villanova1L]

Mayo draft stock is down compared to what?

He's still a lottery pick and arguably the best scorer in the draft.

No chance he stays and I'd bet right now he'll end up a top 7 pick.

[Cammo101]

Westbrook and Jordan should return to school. The rest could all come out and be fine. IMO most underclassman would be better off from a basketball standpoint returning to school. But those guys are lottery picks and would be dumb to pass that up.

[bill curley II]

I disagree about the two Kansas guys, especially RUsh. Theres really nothing substantial that Rush can add to his game in college right now that he hasn't shown already. Same with Arthur, even though he's just a soph. Arthur has shown his athleticism, low post skills, and decent shooting. I think he's displayed his overall skillset sufficiently to draw teams into picking him probably in the late lotto.

I'd also say Buddinger should come out as well. His biggest deficiency is a lack of lateral quickness, especially when he puts the ball on the floor. He's basically a straight line athlete, and his inability to create off the dribble for himself is a result of that deficiency in that game. He's not suddenly going to get better at that, so he may as well come out too.

Couple of guys I think should stay in are Patrick Patterson (late season injury), Anthony Randolph (Needs more weight), and Kevin Love (Needs less weight).

[cdash]

Eric Gordon might want to stick around Indiana as well...he has really played like crap lately. There is a zero percent chance that he will stay, but he may need to.

[skones]

[quote="GJense4181"][/quote]

What? That's just false. Mayo could be considered a 1/2 although I think he's a two. A lot of guys who play the two and were drafted as guys who could play that position were taken A LOT earlier than some of the guys you stated. You have Ben Gordon, Andre Iguodala, Martell Webster, Randy Foye, Rodney Stuckey. Also just because they play that position DOES NOT mean that was the cause for their low draft position. Last year for instance was a draft WITHOUT anything close to a shooting guard crop.

[AQuintus]

DeAndre Jordan should jump. That Texas A&M staff is not going to help him one bit.

I agree to an extent. I think Jordan should stay at least one more year to learn the game, but I don't think he should spend any more time with the A&M staff. Kind of a catch 22 situation for Jordan.

Edit: Another name I would add is Javale Mcgee. If he comes out, I can see him getting stuck in the same kind of situation that Patrick O'Bryant is in right now.

[_BBIB_]

DeAndre Jordan is raw as hell. But if A and M isn't a good developer of young talent in the post, then he might as well come out.

[Cammo101]

DeAndre Jordan is raw as hell. But if A and M isn't a good developer of young talent in the post, then he might as well come out.

How exactly would we know this considering this staff has no track record at A&M?