I haven't heard anything about Dakari. What is his status? D-league or overseas? Has he made a roster maybe?
Dakari Johnson
- Thread starter Don't TrashTheCats
- Start date
Tough break for now but if he works hard eventually he will get a chance somewhere to cash in. But....he could be living the lifestyles of the rich and famous in lexington ky this season.....in tv every night....great coaches and team mates.....more i thi k about it the more it seems i would just tey to stay at uk forever. No wonder willis aint going anywhere....probably smartest move he could make
Of all the guys who entered the draft his decision was by far the worst. He needed at least one more year in the worst way but hey that is on him and I hope he makes it .
I think Dakari's decision to leave last year is far worst than Orton's decision. Orton wasn't happy here and struck while the iron was semi hot. He got a 1st round deal out of it. Dakari could have had the post all to himself this season and allowed Skal to play at the 4. I think he could have played himself into a late 1st rounder if he continued to work on his conditioning and explosiveness.
The Thunder does this all the time for non immediate impact players. They have the player not sign a contract and play in the D League for a year or so and the Thunder can retain his rights and Dakari can then possibly make the jump next year. This isn't shocking or surprising or bad for Dakari
Yes, getting paid as early as possible on what will be a very finite career even if everything goes right is STUPID. Playing for free to appease hillbillies is SMART.
(also if one person lays down the "college education" crap, I'm going to lose it. He can get his degree at any damn time.)
(also if one person lays down the "college education" crap, I'm going to lose it. He can get his degree at any damn time.)
No it isn't.
Cal has stated repeatedly that their scholarships are waiting for them whenever they feel the need to complete their degree.
$27,000 is garbage. You need to think about investing into the future. Playing for garbage money when no one will see you and you live a crappy lifestyle while the other college guys are showcasing their craft on national television every game and are treated like rockstars is not the smartest.
Dakari had a terrible year last year. He could have used another year to get better.
As for Orton, he absolutely made the right decision considering he destroyed his knee as soon as he signed with Orlando and got first round money.
Do people not understand that the Thunder do this all the time for last first/early second round picks that have a future??? They take a drafted player and have him not sign a contract so the Thunder can retain his draft rights and he can improve his draft stock without going against their cap. It's like a draft and stash but they can monitor his progress closer. It's better that he is going to the D League because it allows him to play more minutes and I think the D League is pretty good at developing talent.
Are nongraduatig players allowed to return at any time to continue their course work? What I mean is can the school legally cover the costs? They can't be on scholarship as they've turned pro and all scholarships count towards the total. I agree with slugger that all future expenses would be the burden of the former player.
25 K , 19 or 13 K doesnt exactly sound like getting paid or cashing in . VS being a Wildcat in Lexington ? hmmmm . Maybe he likes Greyhounds ?
Maybe, just maybe, being a professional basketball player is his dream. And he felt it was close enough to grab it. Maybe he's okay with greyhound buses in order to achieve that dream. Maybe, just maybe, Kentucky basketball isn't as important to him as it is to you. Maybe "being 100% ready" isn't in his equation. Were you 100% ready for everything in your life?
No but I never left a good situation for a crappy one either. I also didn't make impulsive decisions. He was never projected as a first round pick and still went.
They did it once, and it was last wit their 1st round pick. It was actually the first time a NBA team has ever done that with that wit a 1st round draft pick.
That team is stacked, especially in the front court. Dakari would've been better off going undrafted and selecting a team he could've had a realistic chance of cracking in training camp or down the line if he performed well in the D-league.
Even if he does well in the D-league w/ the Thunder, he's still not getting called up unless drastic injuries happen.
He struggled mightily at times last year, not sure how much success can be expected at the next level. Certainly wish him the best though.
i'm a big fan a dj. he was kind of the odd man out last year like lee. we were too talented with aa wcs and #1 kat. he creates space, imo is good at not fouling, and has soft hands. old school big i like his game. i'll always remember his positive attitude on the floor pumping our guys up even when we're behind. safe to say we don't beat ul in the tournament in '14 without him. he's not scared to mix it up inside. i think he's a pretty good player.
I believe it's set up by donations to allow former UK players to come back and get their degrees free.
![[sick]](http://l.yimg.com/j/assets/img/emoticons/sick/sick0006.r191677.gif "Sick [sick]")
![[pfftt]](https://ct.yimg.com/mr/uploads/891/1682173.gif "Pfffttt [pfftt]")
look, I can do it too. Anyway, shut the hell up. If this were Donny Johnson from the computer science program, and he left after his sophomore year to go be an intern at an upstart app development company, you wouldn't be saying one god damn thing.
This is a direct quote of D-League compensation last year. If you think making 25k with housing for 6 months is a good idea vs. staying in college, free housing/food year round, apparel, education and still playing basketball is worse deal...then you can your opinion. But if college is bad for any kid...then why go for 1 year to begin with?
"When it comes to compensation, D-League players continue to be placed in one of three classifications (A, B or C) based on experience and make a mere $25,500, $19,000 or $13,000, respectively. Daily per diem on road trips is $40 … compared to $113 in the NBA. But D-League teams do provide housing and medical care to players to offset the comparatively low wages in relation to what they could command in leagues abroad."
It was a poor decision.
He has zero guarantees of anything now.
Another year at UK is worth far, far more than a measly 25k.
He has zero guarantees of anything now.
Another year at UK is worth far, far more than a measly 25k.
W
Where did I say college was bad? Oh right, nowhere. Never said it or implied it. What I did say is that he can finish his degree at any time, which is true. No ones going to give a crap if he gets his degree in 2017 or 2022.
Dakari probably knows the odds are against him for a long NBA career. Even though the compensation in the D league isn't very good, there are success stories. I can see the logic where it is better to get in and improve while you're still young enough to be considered a prospect instead of a senior who is what he is and no one is interested. Is it a gamble? Yes. But it might be his best shot. He was never, ever going to play himself into first round status being a 4 year senior.
And if he flames out, come back to school and finish your degree for free and go do whatever it is people do with a degree these days.
Where did I say college was bad? Oh right, nowhere. Never said it or implied it. What I did say is that he can finish his degree at any time, which is true. No ones going to give a crap if he gets his degree in 2017 or 2022.
Dakari probably knows the odds are against him for a long NBA career. Even though the compensation in the D league isn't very good, there are success stories. I can see the logic where it is better to get in and improve while you're still young enough to be considered a prospect instead of a senior who is what he is and no one is interested. Is it a gamble? Yes. But it might be his best shot. He was never, ever going to play himself into first round status being a 4 year senior.
And if he flames out, come back to school and finish your degree for free and go do whatever it is people do with a degree these days.
Why? Maybe he isn't interested in being Big man on campus, maybe he'd rather pursue a pro career.
I'm talking strictly monetarily.
They announced awhile back what UK spends on each bball player... pretty sure it was over $250K.
Everyone is free to make their own choices, clearly, but he gave up a ton of essentially free $$$ and hidden value to be on his own with no guarantees.
He will have to live extremely frugally to be able to pay for all the things that go along with being an adult in the "real world" even with the free housing.
