Kai Sotto to G League developmental program
- Thread starter JFCats22
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Cal is always looking for the next big thing. What do you think about an exhibition game before the season between kentucky and the g league select team? Maybe pair it with the weekend they bring in all the scouts? I would for sure tune in.
I actually like that. How great would it be to beat them? Talk about marketing.
I could be wrong but my instinct tells me this g-league developmental program is going to fail miserably. No one will ever care about the G-league and lots of kids are going to get exposed. Scrubs don't play in the G-league.
In my opinion they will get a lot, and this is where it will pass/fail (I lean more toward pass).
I think the NBA is looking at how they can expose high level prospects to NBA level coaching. Not that college coaching is bad, but the NBA doesn't have input/control over it. Why wouldn't they believe that their guys are the best suited to develop talent?
There is a world where both the NBA G-League and college basketball survive and thrive. I don't think it is as cut and dry as one must fail for the other to succeed. Both just need to be willing to evolve.
I still can’t wrap my head around the exhibition style of games and the limited sample size they are preparing to have them play. How does that challenge and/or benefit them? They get money, California, no pressure within the games and pampered beyond belief, how does that help NBA GM’s.
Why no pressure within the games? Why are they pampered beyond belief you think?
Smart move for him. You can see the talent, he just has to develop and mature. No better place to do that.
IMO, this is going to almost destroy the college game. I have mixed feelings about it. I am nostalgic & UK/NCAA sports are my favorite to follow. However, the NCAA hasn’t been the same for a while now. I almost relish in the fact that Emmert & the NCAA are going to get it stuck to them.
still, Football is the cash cow
still, Football is the cash cow
I still don't agree with that. It will be interesting to see how that philosophy works out. Will the G-Leauge chew up and spit out these kids before they develop or not. It remains to be seen.
Perhaps I should clarify my above post & what I mean by “destroy” college b-ball.
iMO, the G-league development will be a success. The Coaching & development is very good already. Now, they are investing in more talented young players. They can practice without the distractions of school, study, or college life. Almost unlimited focus on basketball. Plus, if they are investing that much into player contracts, I think they will invest more into making sure the right people are hired to develop players. I am expecting coaching, trainers, etc to get even better at the G League level. I envision more & more players going that route.
That leaves the College roster to be filled with more 3 & 4 star talents. Perhaps we will see more Travis Ford, Jared Prickett, Anthony Epps style players staying 2-3 years. That certainly isn’t a bad thing! We will have a roster of good IQ & skilled basketball players but probably without the same ceiling. I don’t think we will see the Zion’s, John Walls, Etc much after a the G league takes off
iMO, the G-league development will be a success. The Coaching & development is very good already. Now, they are investing in more talented young players. They can practice without the distractions of school, study, or college life. Almost unlimited focus on basketball. Plus, if they are investing that much into player contracts, I think they will invest more into making sure the right people are hired to develop players. I am expecting coaching, trainers, etc to get even better at the G League level. I envision more & more players going that route.
That leaves the College roster to be filled with more 3 & 4 star talents. Perhaps we will see more Travis Ford, Jared Prickett, Anthony Epps style players staying 2-3 years. That certainly isn’t a bad thing! We will have a roster of good IQ & skilled basketball players but probably without the same ceiling. I don’t think we will see the Zion’s, John Walls, Etc much after a the G league takes off
It will fail because it wont get wont get any exposure. Like someone said, nobody wants to watch the minor leagues...nor will they pay to. These kids all want attention on a mass scale, they ain't gonna get it there. Cant wait to watch it crumble to the ground
If a kid is chewed up and spit out despite being hand selected as a player the league wants to invest in, they definitely weren't going to flourish at NC State.
Not every kid that takes this path is going to pan out. That won't be an indictment on the strategy.
I basically agree except I'm not certain about how much patience the league will have with development. College basketball will be better for it. Most kids will go back to being 4 year players and I don't think the "lower" ceiling will matter much as we don't get to see these super talented kids get any where near their ceiling in the 1 year they play anyway. Get all these kids out of the college game, let them go pro and lets get back to players who develop into roles over 4 years. Everyone will be happier.
[QUOTE="kyups01, post: 8923260, member: 5518"]It will fail because it wont get wont get any exposure. Like someone said, nobody wants to watch the minor leagues...nor will they pay to. These kids all want attention on a mass scale, they ain't gonna get it there. Cant wait to watch it crumble to the ground[/QUOTE]
fun fact...the g league has been around for 20 years. despite not getting any exposure its still here and its improving.
fun fact...the g league has been around for 20 years. despite not getting any exposure its still here and its improving.
Oh I know and agree, I'm just curious how often that will happen. Over time it may or may not be an indictment on the strategy. We'll have to wait and see.
Do you think Clarke, Boston. Sarr and Jackson would be better off in the G league as well?
Except they wouldn’t be cut after 7 months for having a lackluster season at NC state.
Im all for these guys skipping college if they want. They don’t want to be here. They deserve to go make as much money as possible.
Now that this G league is an option We don’t have to hear how unfair it is for these men to play college basketball for 7 months. The option to skip college and play overseas or train for a year has always been there ( nobody is forced to go to college) but now that the G league is taking off hopefully that will curtail some of the moaning and complaining whilst still allowing these men to make as much money as quickly as possible.
Not if that wasn't their mindset.
From a purely basketball perspective, I think Clarke and Boston would have been making a smart move, but Kentucky is one of the few places where the overall experience can be worth skipping the money because the preparation here is so proven.
Are they going to be cut in the G League? Do coaches not recruit over players? Do players not transfer?
Also, the typical 18 year old isn't a man by any reasonable understanding of the word and it's still exploitive that everyone but the kid makes a fortune from his likeness, no matter what the G League situation is.
The NCAA and colleges are going to market hundreds of kids next season that have no G League alternative.
The reason isn't the level of coaching, it's the basic philosophy of the coaching. In the NBA, you win the most games by having the better players, so the primary goal is player development. The playbook is secondary, because the players have years to learn the plays.
In college, the primary concentration is on the playbook. The players have at best 5 years to learn it, with individual improvement relying on the players work ethic. That's why Cal's guys get drafted so high. Cal is working on individual improvement.
Also, yhe main goal of a college coach is not to win games. That is merely one goal, of voaching in general. The main goal of college coaches is the next big payday. So they coach a system they believe will give them the best chance to achieve their goal. It's basic human behavior.
We will be fine as long as we have Cal. The top guys MAY all start going straight to the league, and you really can't blame them. With Cal's emphasis on player development, the second tier guys would be getting a lot of the stuff that the league is teaching, thereby maximizing their chance to get to the league also.
I think this path is perfect for the Sotto kid, and probably the exact reason this G-League Select exists.
Its not rocket science on how to do it. The NHL and MLB have been doing it for years with the NCAA with zero issue.
Lol g league has been here for awhile. Its not "failing". That's you wishing for whatever reason
Also its not the minor leagues. These kids still have to be drafted at the end fo the 20 game season
Not only has it been around for a long while now, it just keeps getting bigger and better each year.
@kyups01 keeps floating that delusional idea about the league supposedly "failing" and, honestly, I get the impression he doesn't even know what the league really is. He makes it sound like it's just some crazy fly by night operation (rather than something owned and run by the NBA) that just recently appeared and will soon go broke and disappear.
Well, sorry buddy, but that ain't gonna happen. Not only is the G-League here to stay, but it's gonna keep getting stronger.
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Y'all have both been around long enough to know you're wasting your time.
We are talking about the NBA, a league that has burned money to keep the WNBA alive for two decades. The success of the G-League is even more important to the NBA since players that improve there will improve their mainline product, the NBA itself. They know what they are doing.
People are overreacting to the G-league practice team option. They are not trying to take all the good players from the NCAA. I just think they did it create an alternative for kids that have been playing overseas. They will get a few more kids that would have played college but the purpose was to give the ones that would have went overseas a option to make decent money and improve more with better development staying close to home. It’s not about making money it’s about getting players in the draft who are more prepared for the NBA and more name recognition. Maybe not like they would get in the NCAA but more than they would in an euro league.
When the NCAA starts allowing players to earn off likeness it’s going to be even harder to turn down college. With college you get to play in games that mean something, get more exposure, and a fallback option if your not pro material.
And people are missing the big positive. This could be the long term compromise to keeping the one and done rule which would do even more damage to the NCAA with even more kids skipping school.
I don’t have any problem with it mostly they are taking kids who never wanted to go to school or really need the money. You take a kid with a single moms who’s struggling and he’s a top 10 player this gives him the option to help his family in a better situation.
When the NCAA starts allowing players to earn off likeness it’s going to be even harder to turn down college. With college you get to play in games that mean something, get more exposure, and a fallback option if your not pro material.
And people are missing the big positive. This could be the long term compromise to keeping the one and done rule which would do even more damage to the NCAA with even more kids skipping school.
I don’t have any problem with it mostly they are taking kids who never wanted to go to school or really need the money. You take a kid with a single moms who’s struggling and he’s a top 10 player this gives him the option to help his family in a better situation.
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Apparently it’s 15 exhibition games. They’re not even playing within the league.
No real post season or games of any consequence.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/realgm-radio-with-danny-leroux/id325045115?i=1000473230909
check out this podcast for some further insight.
These are pro NBA guys who have always argued for this option, but they make some intriguing arguments how it makes it more difficult on GM’s to evaluate these players.
It's 20 games. I'm well read on the G league. Watch it a lot. Why no pressure on the players ?
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