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Charles Matthews...

sluggercatfan

All-American
Aug 17, 2004
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Is a perfect example of why kids shouldn't be rushed to go to the nba. He is playing and is a star on arguably the best team in the country , going to have his degree from an outstanding university AND probably going to be a 1st rd pick...Oh my gosh his life is forever ruined because he wasn't a OND!
 
Is a perfect example of why kids shouldn't be rushed to go to the nba. He is playing and is a star on arguably the best team in the country , going to have his degree from an outstanding university AND probably going to be a 1st rd pick...Oh my gosh his life is forever ruined because he wasn't a OND!
It all boils down to the preconceived notion of coming here.
 
Is a perfect example of why kids shouldn't be rushed to go to the nba. He is playing and is a star on arguably the best team in the country , going to have his degree from an outstanding university AND probably going to be a 1st rd pick...Oh my gosh his life is forever ruined because he wasn't a OND!
Don't get me wrong he is a great player but he is anywhere from 50th to not even in Mock drafts at all. He will be 23 in November. Yes he has gotten better and improved but he is likely to end up making the same or less money than our players who left when fans considered them not ready. Basketball is not a game for these players it is their job. They make decisions because they are trying to maximize their earning potential, you can't have basketball as a job forever so the more years you can the better. Matthews after his senior year will be 24 at the start of his NBA career, if he lands with a team.

I wish him the best of luck, he is a great college player.
 
I think Matthews is an exception, not the rule.. Also he wasn't an elite recruit coming out of HS.. High level but not elite. He's about what you'd expect for where he was ranked.
 
Kentucky/Cal/the fan base has created this environment in order to get the best players. With that, comes examples where you lost. It happens.
 
Jamal Murray and Charles Matthews were both Freshman at UK. Based upon your prediction that Matthews will be a first round draft pick (at the age of 23) Jamal Murray will have already made $15 Million Dollars and will be eligible for a Max contract potentially worth well over $100 Million Dollars (at the age of 23)

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Is a perfect example of why kids shouldn't be rushed to go to the nba. He is playing and is a star on arguably the best team in the country , going to have his degree from an outstanding university AND probably going to be a 1st rd pick...Oh my gosh his life is forever ruined because he wasn't a OND!

But he wasnt rushed. He was asked to wait his turn and he said "F that, I want to play NOW." Ironically enough he missed a whole season of basketball because of that. Had he stayed and done the same thing he would've been a senior on last years team in place of Hami and we probably do big things. I'm happy for him, but he left because he wanted to be a star from day 1 which he wasnt.
 
Matthews isn't the guy I'd pick as the poster boy for patience. He played solid minutes here as a freshman and bolted for more minutes and a bigger role.
And he has tried to go to the league early, he wasn't good enough. I agree with Sluggers intent but Matthews is the wrong guy.
 
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Matthews isn't projected as a first rounder anywhere that I could find. He's a very nice college ballplayer who I doubt ever has the size or skill set to make an NBA team.

As for citing him as "a perfect example of why kids shouldn't be rushed to the NBA" that doesn't really make sense. Who was rushing him? He was rushing himself. It's not like he left Kentucky to get away from that corrupting one-and-done culture so he could be playing college ball five years later at age 23. If he could have signed an NBA contract at halftime of a game in November during his freshman year, I guarantee you he'd have done it, and dropped his uniform on the floor on the way out of the locker room.
 
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Is a perfect example of why kids shouldn't be rushed to go to the nba. He is playing and is a star on arguably the best team in the country , going to have his degree from an outstanding university AND probably going to be a 1st rd pick...Oh my gosh his life is forever ruined because he wasn't a OND!
if charles matthews would've been selected in the lottery after his first year, charles matthews would've gone to the NBA.

that's three years off his earning potential. not sure why that's tough to grasp.
 
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Matthews isn't the guy I'd pick as the poster boy for patience. He played solid minutes here as a freshman and bolted for more minutes and a bigger role.

Exactly.

Pretty sure Cal wanted him to stay. And he didn't exactly ride the pine his entire freshman year. He just wasn't willing to buy in to his initial role.
 
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Is a perfect example of why kids shouldn't be rushed to go to the nba. He is playing and is a star on arguably the best team in the country , going to have his degree from an outstanding university AND probably going to be a 1st rd pick...Oh my gosh his life is forever ruined because he wasn't a OND!

Problem is, he thought he was a OAD. Left after 1 year over playing time.
 
Jamal Murray and Charles Matthews were both Freshman at UK. Based upon your prediction that Matthews will be a first round draft pick (at the age of 23) Jamal Murray will have already made $15 Million Dollars and will be eligible for a Max contract potentially worth well over $100 Million Dollars (at the age of 23)

E1698-BAA-6-D6-C-4257-9410-9-D2870660-CAC.jpg


C6-C82835-443-F-4-BDE-929-D-F5-B4-B1445-B4-C.jpg
To compare Matthews to Murray is certainly disingenuous. One was a highly sought after sure fire OAD and the other was roster fill. A better comparison would be with Briscoe. IB was the class behind and left after 2 years. He played a year overseas in minor league Euro ball and parlayed that into a minimum NBA contract and is probably about $1M ahead. If CM gets drafted 1st round, he’ll pass him up right away. If he has the same path, that’s a million he never recoups.
 
if charles matthews would've been selected in the lottery after his first year, charles matthews would've gone to the NBA.

that's three years off his earning potential. not sure why that's tough to grasp.

Matthews wasn’t a lottery pick but besides the point. This earnings potential argument is stupid. If someone gets to the end of their career and is lamenting they could have made a little more money if they had gone sooner then the extra money they are lamenting however wouldn’t do them any good anyway. A rookie contract in of itself if managed properly would set them up for life.
 
Don't get me wrong he is a great player but he is anywhere from 50th to not even in Mock drafts at all. He will be 23 in November. Yes he has gotten better and improved but he is likely to end up making the same or less money than our players who left when fans considered them not ready. Basketball is not a game for these players it is their job. They make decisions because they are trying to maximize their earning potential, you can't have basketball as a job forever so the more years you can the better. Matthews after his senior year will be 24 at the start of his NBA career, if he lands with a team.

I wish him the best of luck, he is a great college player.
Let's say he is nothing more than a journeyman player in the NBA and retires at the ripe old age of 34 after making around 15 million ...please tell me where he is hurting with probably a master's degree from an outstanding university?. Tell me who that has left UK early that shouldn't have and is any better off? Hell, I think Poythress has made 5-6 million already.
 
Matthews wasn’t a lottery pick but besides the point. This earnings potential argument is stupid. If someone gets to the end of their career and is lamenting they could have made a little more money if they had gone sooner then the extra money they are lamenting however wouldn’t do them any good anyway. A rookie contract in of itself if managed properly would set them up for life.
This!!!
 
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To compare Matthews to Murray is certainly disingenuous. One was a highly sought after sure fire OAD and the other was roster fill. A better comparison would be with Briscoe. IB was the class behind and left after 2 years. He played a year overseas in minor league Euro ball and parlayed that into a minimum NBA contract and is probably about $1M ahead. If CM gets drafted 1st round, he’ll pass him up right away. If he has the same path, that’s a million he never recoups.
That ain't happening...IB is not better than CM
 
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He's the perfect example of nothing more than a kid finding the right fit for himself.
"Kentucky's not for everyone"......
SoCALtes 189 B.C.
 
That ain't happening...IB is not better than CM
You know Briscoe has been playing for the magic right? You can get a degree after the nba or Europe if you want with that few million you earn minimum. But you only have so many years playing basketball. Then you can run a basketball academy, coach without a degree and make a good living
 
You know Briscoe has been playing for the magic right? You can get a degree after the nba or Europe if you want with that few million you earn minimum. But you only have so many years playing basketball. Then you can run a basketball academy, coach without a degree and make a good living
Actually under Cal your scholarship is good for life
 
The necessity of including " earning potential" and a college basketball player is just wrong . Its a shame the NBA has rigged things to rob the NCAA of the Charles Mathews of the world . a wonderful , gifted college player .
 
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To compare Matthews to Murray is certainly disingenuous. One was a highly sought after sure fire OAD and the other was roster fill. A better comparison would be with Briscoe. IB was the class behind and left after 2 years. He played a year overseas in minor league Euro ball and parlayed that into a minimum NBA contract and is probably about $1M ahead. If CM gets drafted 1st round, he’ll pass him up right away. If he has the same path, that’s a million he never recoups.
It isn’t any more disengenuous than the OP using Charles Matthews as an a example for not rushing players to the NBA. CM was never a one and done candidate but instead a “roster fill” as you put it so he wouldn’t fit the narrative of the OP’s message. Perhaps he should have used Tim Duncan, who would have been more of a practical example.
 
Jamal Murray and Charles Matthews were both Freshman at UK. Based upon your prediction that Matthews will be a first round draft pick (at the age of 23) Jamal Murray will have already made $15 Million Dollars and will be eligible for a Max contract potentially worth well over $100 Million Dollars (at the age of 23)

E1698-BAA-6-D6-C-4257-9410-9-D2870660-CAC.jpg


C6-C82835-443-F-4-BDE-929-D-F5-B4-B1445-B4-C.jpg

Actually Murray will easily make over 150 million on his next deal and that’s over a short span. When he is on his third deal he will make up to 40 million a year if he still plays like he does now.
 
Is a perfect example of why kids shouldn't be rushed to go to the nba. He is playing and is a star on arguably the best team in the country , going to have his degree from an outstanding university AND probably going to be a 1st rd pick...Oh my gosh his life is forever ruined because he wasn't a OND!
Matthews is more of an example of the coaches neglecting player developement in favor of recruiting the next big recruit. Matthews saw the writing on the wall.
 
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