Parrish ragging on roy

[HoyaSinceBirth]

www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10246807

"From: Kressmann

I agree with your column on college players not cashing in when they should. I said to all my friends that Roy Hibbert is making a big mistake going back to Georgetown. Most mock drafts I saw had him going to Chicago (at No. 9). An opportunity to play for a playoff team -- and dare I say CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER -- next season with a good payday to boot. Even if his stock does go up, he will likely be behind Derrick Rose and O.J. Mayo next year, leaving him to go to a bottom-dweller team for equal or less cash.

Roy Hibbert is exactly the type of player I was writing about, a guy who turns down a guaranteed contract to return to school based on the idea of improving his stock. That strategy has proved to work against guys more than for them, and I suspect Hibbert will learn this next June. At best, he'll be drafted around the same place he would've been drafted this year. At worst, he'll slip and lose money just like Josh McRoberts, Glen Davis and Marcus Williams."


Sigh some people just don't get it.

[azarin]

Seriously. What exactly is the cash value of spending another year in college, relatively care-free and possibly having a chance at the national championship?

[FLHoya]

I'm trying to decide which is lamer:

The letter-writer using the phrase "I said to all my friends"--which is the thinly-veiled-brag-post equivalent of yelling "I DRIVE A DODGE STRATUS!!!!!".

Or

A columnist who writes a mailbag piece in which the first six letters praise him in the first sentence!

Parrish has probably already told all of his friends about how popular he is.

[RBHoya]

To some people, money is everything. They can't understand, as you said HSB, that a year of fun at a place where youre loved unconditionally, a year without the stresses of being a pro, is something you can't really buy. A NCAA championship, a legacy, being mentioned in the same breath as greats like Ewing and Mourning and Mutombo... that's something money can't buy. In short, the whole Georgetown experience... it's something you can't put a price on. Some people just can't understand that.

Fortunately, Roy Hibbert is not one of those people.

[MCIGuy]

Not only can they not understand, RB, they sem to resent players have the audacity to choose school over money. Perhaps because they know they themselves could never do that.

Yesteday I wrote Parrish an e-mail in which I told him I bet Hibbert would stil go top five, top ten next year. I also thought it was ridiculous to include him with the likes of Big Baby and especially McRoberts. Only an injury would knock Roy out of the first round. Who does he think he's talking about? Ruben Boumtje Boumtje?

If I'm not mistake Parrish was the guy who wrote last season that the Hoyas would get much needed backcourt help in Wright and Freeman but by then Roy would be gone. Guess he hates having his prediction ruined.


Speaking of Roy here's a link to a article with a quick mention of him.

www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070706/SPORTS02/70706025

Rob Senderoff, the recruiting tornado who works on Sampson's staff, said he's seen reports that IU center D.J. White and Roy Hibbert of Georgetown were the two best big men in the evening pickup games at Amare Stoudemire's camp in Phoenix.


Since the info was provided by a Hoosier coach the reality is probably more likely like this: Roy was the best big man in the pickup game....White was a distant second.

[jacko]

He lost me at "based on the idea of improving his stock"

[AvantGuardHoya]

The fact of the matter is this: with the advent of the NBA rookie salary cap, the R-E-A-L money players make now comes after their rookie contract when they sign new deals or become free agents. If a young player does well during his first few seasons, his subsequent contracts can bring him st :-*pid $$$. To be sure, the 2 or 3 million Roy may have lost by not coming out this year is a loss, but I'm sure he feels confident that what he gains by staying is comparatively immeasurable.

And it seems to me that the assumption his staying is primarily driven by him thinking he'll improve his standing in the draft is basically just that. He'd have been a lottery pick this year and should be next year. People ought to stop jumping to conclusions....

[williambraskyiii]

mciguy said:

Speaking of Roy here's a link to a article with a quick mention of him.

www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070706/SPORTS02/70706025

Rob Senderoff, the recruiting tornado who works on Sampson's staff, said he's seen reports that IU center D.J. White and Roy Hibbert of Georgetown were the two best big men in the evening pickup games at Amare Stoudemire's camp in Phoenix.


Since the info was provided by a Hoosier coach the reality is probably more likely like this: Roy was the best big man in the pickup game....White was a distant second.

Is there a chance that Roy is an unstoppable beast this season? I mean seriously - given his ridiculous improvements over the first two offseasons, could Roy really be a "once he gets the ball within 8 feet" automatic type? if he adds the 15-18 footer geezus - i fear for the hasheem thabeets of the world.

[FLHoya]

rbhoya said:

To some people, money is everything. They can't understand, as you said HSB, that a year of fun at a place where youre loved unconditionally, a year without the stresses of being a pro, is something you can't really buy. A NCAA championship, a legacy, being mentioned in the same breath as greats like Ewing and Mourning and Mutombo... that's something money can't buy. In short, the whole Georgetown experience... it's something you can't put a price on. Some people just can't understand that.

Fortunately, Roy Hibbert is not one of those people.

I'm not even sure it has to go that far...though you should consider writing admissions brochures for Georgetown.

These types of articles in which columnists offer their advice/opinion on college players declaring for the draft always crack me up. There are just certain topics on which even sports columnists who are merely almost-good-once-jocks or sorta-failed-jocks (rather than full-on failed jocks) can't possibly write from a position of knowledge.

How many people in their lives ever face a decision of this type and this magnitude? Am I supposed to be some kind of expert on the Roy Hibbert situation because I once turned down a chance to take a job straight out of college in order to attend graduate school and "improve my stock"?* Doubtful. I don't recall myself being the last piece of the puzzle for the Elliott School of International Affairs to contend for a national championship.

True, there are clear cut cases that we could point to of players who certainly should/should not have made their decision on hte draft. But the norm seems to be at best, columnists (and fans) in these situations write from a lack of perspective...at worst they write with an outright agenda.

What WOULD be an interesting article, and I'm not sure if I've ever seen one, is for someone to wait a few months and do a piece on guys like Joakim Noah, Glen Davis, etc. Interview a bunch of guys who DID make the choice to come back for an extra year. Guys who wanted to "improve their stock". Guys who wanted another run at a National Title. Guys who just like college or didn't need the money.

See how a bunch of guys viewed their decision a year-plus later, and how it worked out for them.

Failing that, write Parrish a letter next June when Roy goes Top 5 in the draft. Although since you won't be stroking his ego in the first sentence, you're gonna wanna check the bottom of the mailbag column to find it.

(*And for the record that decision worked out for me. So unless Parrish went back for that last year of journalism school rather than take that internship at the Medium-Sized-Non-Coastal-City Gazette, I have an authoritative advantage over him here ;D )

[MCIGuy]

The situation with Roy's decision is a unique one. The link below takes you to a Q & A with Adam Stanco.


www.collegehoopsnet.com/new/story/nba_draft_answer_man_240948

Here's the question involving Roy:

Do you think a player like Roy Hibbert, who was more than likely going to be a lottery pick, truly has anything to gain by coming back to school for another season? (Submitted by: (Kenny Williams of Landover, MD)

Under the current early entry rules, Roy Hibbert is the first player to declare for the draft, find out that he is almost certainly a lottery pick, and then pull out prior to the deadline.

So you’d really have to ask him. There really is no precedence set for this situation.

But each situation is unique and Hibbert chose the path less traveled.

The 7-footer’s return, plus the addition of fabulous freshmen Austin Freeman and Chris Wright, will have Georgetown vying for their first national title since 1984.

And, judging by his recent history, Hibbert’s decision will certainly benefit him individually as a player. His improvement over the last three seasons has been nothing short of monumental and another season under John Thompson III will only enhance his ever-developing skill-set.

The earliest he probably could’ve been drafted this year is No. 4 by the Grizzlies, yet it is more likely that he would’ve gone a little later in the lottery. It would be hard to imagine him slipping past the Kings at No. 10.

Next year’s draft class is much weaker and, without any franchise centers crowding the lottery, he should be taken somewhere in the top five.

However, the move is really interesting financially. While he could jump up a few slots by going back to school, his rookie deal will also kick in one year later. So even though he might be gaining money on his first contract, his big NBA payday will be delayed.

Roy made obviously a very rare decision. It was his decision to make it. I'm tired of journalists and fans on various sports message boards who seem almost to root for his failure by continually claiming he made the wrong decision.

[hifigator]

This guy is a schmuck. He contradicts himself as well. First he says that Roy will still likely be behind Rose and Mayo. That is only 2 guys. Using that logic, he could reasonably be the 3rd pick, even if his assessment of the 3 is correct. There is a big difference between the 3rd and 9th picks. Secondly, he implies that he will be going to a bottom feeder. Why? Presumably his logic is that the worst teams draft first in general. So which is it? Will his stock not improve and therefore he will "slip" to better teams or will he get drafted higher but by a worse team.

He did have a decent point in saying that Chicago theoretically might have been a good fit, but it is quite a stretch to use that one point to support the rest of his rubbish.

[hifigator]

I do think some of you are somewhat hypocritical however. I remember last year after the '04's announced at the celebration that they were going to return, several of you at first suggested that was just talk and that they wouldn't actually come back. Then after they really did return, at least a couple of you were talking about how bad the decision was. As it works out, Noah is probably the only one who hurt his status. He might have gone first last year but slipped "all the way" to nine. So be careful throwing those stones from your glass houses.

[theexorcist]

Roy's here, so I'll do the counterfactual.

Something that's always bothered me about pro sports is the draft. When you graduate, you can choose whoever will have you. Maybe they'll pay more than other jobs, maybe you'll get more training, maybe the job will be more fun.

Roy and Jeff don't get a choice. Both will be stuck for all intents and purposes with a team for a few years. Imagine playing on an awful team that sucks your soul and gives you bad teammates. AND imagine being expected to be the savior, which a top three pick usually is.

Now imagine heading to a team that's a guaranteed playoff contender with a good nucleus and that has the potential to make you very famous if you succeed. You're not guaranteed a national championship your senior year, and there's something to be said for doing your best to set up your pro basketball career. Not just to make money, but to be successful.

With that said, Roy obviously chose the other option, which obviously has its benefits.

Short version - while Parrish is wrong that going pro is the only option, I can see his logic and why he would think that way.

[hifigator]

I don't blame a student athlete for leaving early. With the amount of money out there for the elite guys, it is reasonable for most anyone to not want to risk a potential injury which could end their career before it ever begins. That being said, I just don't understand this guys "logic" that Roy made the wrong decision because he was a likely #9 pick and therefore unlikely to improve his draft status. That is just silly.

[hoyastrong]

If Roy continues to make the type of improvements that he has the last couple of years, I think he will def go in the top 3, and I really think that was a big part of his decision. Also, like the man said, we do have some "unfinished business".

[MCIGuy]

Whether he goes 1, 3, 9, 15, 20....if he definitely makes himself an even better player the extra year could benefit him in the long run. If he feels that he's not yet "adult" enough to enter the "real world" (well, relatively speaking) and prefers the college life at this time then so be it. If he puts a true emphasis on getting his college degree now rather than later then good for him. It was his decision to make and he only has to answer to himself when it came to that choice. People like Parrish should let it go.

Oh and if he gets a little bonus added known as a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP then all the better!

[youngjeezy]

Parrish has Georgetown envy. He was probably rejected from Georgetown and is mad that someone else is getting the full four-year experience.

Seriously though, what is so wrong about someone loving his school enough to want to come back for his senior year? Maybe he feels he owes it to JTIII - I mean, how many quotes have we heard about "teaching Roy how to run" before his freshman year? Coming into Georgetown, the kid was on no one's radar and had no chance at being a lottery pick - now look at him. I think it speaks VOLUMES about this program that he came back for his senior year.

[youngjeezy]

Also not to mention the following, that came from Parrish's "thoughts":

Gottfried's point was that trimming the list of 30 invitees will be a challenge, and I agree. Common sense suggests Georgetown's Roy Hibbert will certainly make it, along with Tennessee's Chris Lofton (he's they type of shooter who is a commodity in the international game), Villanova's Scottie Reynolds (he's Wright's best player) and Alabama's Richard Hendrix (he's Gottfried's best player). But beyond those four I'm not sure there's another lock to travel to Brazil and compete July 13-29.

So he made a mistake by coming back but he's arguably one of the four best college players in the game...

[RDF]

What Parrish also fails to address and what I think is a major point in terms of supporting Roy's return to college-he's young for his class--he's going to be 20 when he graduates college. If you told most GM's they could take a starting Center on a Final Four caliber program that has played 4 years of CBB in the Big East and is a potential All American and he'll be 20 years old when he enters the Draft--they'd be drooling. So what's there to lose by returning? It's not as if Roy is some mercenary that was moving from Prep School to Prep School and was a 21 year College FR who needed to enter the Draft after his soph season due to being 23 years old.

[theexorcist]

Hifi and hoyastrong:

The point Parrish made isn't that Roy will improve his draft status - it's who has the pick (in this case, Chicago). If it seems a good bet that someone good will pick you, then, Parrish said, you're making a good move that can benefit you years down the line. Not just being picked third rather than ninth, but being picked by a good organization rather than a bad one.