Bird told WCS that he's a 100M player.....WCS' response: Really?
That is classic WCS.
That is classic WCS.
WCS response to Larry Bird.....
- Thread starter KMKAT
- Start date
That's awesome to hear. I hope willie makes him all that and more. Speaking of the French Lick Hick, I'm at the French lick resort and casino right now. First time here.
I think Bird meant he'd be a $100 million player if he had Bird's intensity and killer instinct.
WCS is a 100mil level athlete.
WCS currently lacks a NBA skill set
WCS currently lacks mental endurance as he starts seasons strong and quits caring half way through. Now the NBA season is twice as long.
WCS doesn't have the MKG motor to be a Dennis Rodman and counter not having an elite skill set
He will either need to develop his skill set to compensate for his lack o a high motor consistently. Or he will need to find a passion and fire for the game that hasn't currently been there consistently in order to maximize and capitalize on his freak athletic ability and compensate for not being dominant from a skill standpoint and not being a shaq that can bully guys.
I wish him the best and he has tons of upside. But he could also be a major bust and let down.
WCS currently lacks a NBA skill set
WCS currently lacks mental endurance as he starts seasons strong and quits caring half way through. Now the NBA season is twice as long.
WCS doesn't have the MKG motor to be a Dennis Rodman and counter not having an elite skill set
He will either need to develop his skill set to compensate for his lack o a high motor consistently. Or he will need to find a passion and fire for the game that hasn't currently been there consistently in order to maximize and capitalize on his freak athletic ability and compensate for not being dominant from a skill standpoint and not being a shaq that can bully guys.
I wish him the best and he has tons of upside. But he could also be a major bust and let down.
I agree with everything you said but your going to have some incoming fire coming at you from the posters who doesn't see that.
Oh I know. I've been around long enough to know how this board works. Hasn't changed much in 10 years.
That's about the most "negative" I've ever been on here though....if you can really even consider that as negative given the harshest criticism is something WCS has stated himself. That he doesn't really love the game/have fun and lost motivation during seasons.
Hopefully not having to balance it with school and classes allows there to be less on his plate and makes it easier for him to dial in.
100 million is a lot of money. WCS will have to earn that type of money during his first contract by evolving on offense and playing hard more often than not.
The effort he gave in what should have been a championship run suggests he doesn't have what it takes to succeed at the highest level. He disappears too often. He will be great in spurts,and below average in spurts. The NBA are no dummies. He will never approach 100M. But he will probably be satisfied with his career. That's Willie.
If Willie had Larry ' s drive maybe. Bird was a warrior. A truly all time great. Nobody played harder.
The number of NBA players who have Larry Legends drive and desire is very small. Not a knock on Willie to not reach that level.
Don't disagree that Willie has to improve but I think we will put in the work and be a successful NBA player for a long time. Never going to be transcendent talent like AD but can see him playing 10-12 years. I don't think he is the next DeAndre Jordan or Andre Drummond but they both had a lot of the same question marks when they went to the NBA.
Don't disagree that Willie has to improve but I think we will put in the work and be a successful NBA player for a long time. Never going to be transcendent talent like AD but can see him playing 10-12 years. I don't think he is the next DeAndre Jordan or Andre Drummond but they both had a lot of the same question marks when they went to the NBA.
Do you realize how much money guys like Larry Sanders or JaVale McGee have made? Willie is 50 times more driven and reliable than they are.
It's also tiresome to hear people claim that athleticism isn't a skill, or act like defense isn't a skill. Skill isn't just something that the coach's son teaches himself in the driveway to compensate for a lack of size. Willie has one of the most rare skills in the entire draft, and it's one of the most valuable in today's NBA. It also fits any team and any scheme.
Things like that can make you a $100M guy. Especially with the salary cap changes coming. Watch Draymond Green get paid this summer and imagine what this board would have said about him leaving Sparty.
It's also tiresome to hear people claim that athleticism isn't a skill, or act like defense isn't a skill. Skill isn't just something that the coach's son teaches himself in the driveway to compensate for a lack of size. Willie has one of the most rare skills in the entire draft, and it's one of the most valuable in today's NBA. It also fits any team and any scheme.
Things like that can make you a $100M guy. Especially with the salary cap changes coming. Watch Draymond Green get paid this summer and imagine what this board would have said about him leaving Sparty.
He'll be a 10 year guy on athleticism alone. I'm talking about what he needs to do to be the hall of fame guy that his potential suggest he can be.
Athleticism is a weapon more so than a skill. Guys like Rodman and MKG turned their freak athleticism into a major skill when combined with a high motor by becoming dominant rebounders and shut down defenders. It becomes a skill at that point.
But when people talk about skills they are referring to things that are primarily learned. That can be worked on and improved.
You can slightly improve athleticism by a weight and plyo training program but it's still a physical gift that boost your skill set. It's like the delivery system that makes everything easier. Easier to get shots off, to blow by your man and get to the rim using your ball handling skills. Easier to get into position to set your teammates up.
Athleticism combined with skill is very dangerous such as John Wall, Lebron, Durant, and any other elite player. It takes both to be elite. You can be very good and have a solid career with just one of the two ingredients.
WCS has potential to be a HOFer but he could also be another athletic journeyman that still makes a very good living. Not really a "bust" but that would be a relative bust in terms of potential and a top 5 pick for a franchise.
Hopefully he lands on a team with great pieces around him that only needs an athlete in the inside and he makes a nice home for himself while he develops.
Athleticism is a weapon more so than a skill. Guys like Rodman and MKG turned their freak athleticism into a major skill when combined with a high motor by becoming dominant rebounders and shut down defenders. It becomes a skill at that point.
But when people talk about skills they are referring to things that are primarily learned. That can be worked on and improved.
You can slightly improve athleticism by a weight and plyo training program but it's still a physical gift that boost your skill set. It's like the delivery system that makes everything easier. Easier to get shots off, to blow by your man and get to the rim using your ball handling skills. Easier to get into position to set your teammates up.
Athleticism combined with skill is very dangerous such as John Wall, Lebron, Durant, and any other elite player. It takes both to be elite. You can be very good and have a solid career with just one of the two ingredients.
WCS has potential to be a HOFer but he could also be another athletic journeyman that still makes a very good living. Not really a "bust" but that would be a relative bust in terms of potential and a top 5 pick for a franchise.
Hopefully he lands on a team with great pieces around him that only needs an athlete in the inside and he makes a nice home for himself while he develops.
I think some people are just upset that he underperformed against Wisconsin.
You can't let that cloud your judgment of him as a prospect. I guarantee the NBA scouts won't.
You can't let that cloud your judgment of him as a prospect. I guarantee the NBA scouts won't.
Plus, when WCS gets to the NBA somebody will undoubtedly teach him some offensive post moves. Willie's athleticism will enable him to execute any post moves that anyone is able and willing to teach him. And -- combining some coached-up offensive game with the defensive skills that Gonzo talked about ... WCS is certainly a $100M player.
Just MHO, of course.
Just MHO, of course.
Yeah. NBA scouts will pay a ton more attention to his chasing Jerian Grant down the court and sticking with him at the end of the Elite Eight game UK had with Notre Dame. It's very rare to have a guy his size with that sort of speed and athleticism.
Willie has a lot of Tyson Chandler in his game. Should have a long, excellent pro career if used in the same way Chandler has been.
You don't think he possesses an NBA skill set with his defense right now? The guy was a defensive specialist and made himself an All-American simply by his defense. His PPG was the lowest by an All American in........well, I forget exactly how long but it was a long damn time ago. Lol.
Now, I've been a WCS fan on some days and a not so WCS fan on others because I too see the times that he disappears during games or even stretches of games. We all know he lacks the offensive game right now that would propel him into being a really great center. I too, would also like to see his motor turned up a bit but you just can't deny that the kid is amazing on the defensive end. No discussion about it. He can guard ANY position on the court!! And do it extremely well at that! How many big men in the NBA can you say that about? I don't know if he is a million dollar guy, not at this moment anyway but to say he doesn't possess an NBA skill set is just wrong. He doesn't have many NBA skill sets but the 1 skill he does have is enough for him to make a career in the league and make him a great deal of money along the way. Will he? Who knows! Will he develope that killer instinct to go with that defensive skill set? I hope so but nobody knows for sure. I wouldn't be surprised to see him in the league for 15 years but I also wouldn't be surprised to see him out of the league in 5 years either. It all depends on a number of variables but I think the biggest obstacle has to do with why he disappears for stretches at a time. I wonder if it really is confidence like he says because he talked like he was over that issue. I hope he realizes what he does best and what he needs to find in himself to do that consistently in the league, night in and night out. The kid has an NBA skill set though for sure!!
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Once he starts getting paid his motivation might change. I think having one of the greatest bragging on him might motivate him as well.
Honest question here.....do you not think Cal and the staff worked on his offensive game? It was always a typical response for WCS to say he was working to improve his offense any time he was asked about what he had been doing or what his off season focus would be. I'm not saying that he won't produce a low post game and I know he will have more time to spend on that skill when his job is to simply play basketball but I just don't think it will be as easy to you imply. I think the coaching has probably been available to him but I think the desire and the hard work are the key factors in us seeing a significantly improved offensive game. He will need to work harder at that skill.
Whoa! High praise certainly and a game changer defensively but how many defenders get those kind of contracts?
Deandre Jordan is about to get a max or near max.
Tyson Chandler made 14M this year(used to be an elite rim protector)
Rudy Gobert will get a near max or max when eligible if healthy.
Andrew Bogut made 14M this year
Basically if you can protect the rim pretty well in the NBA you're going to get paid. If Willie can prove he can do that then he'll be paid very well for a long time.
Tyson Chandler made 14M this year(used to be an elite rim protector)
Rudy Gobert will get a near max or max when eligible if healthy.
Andrew Bogut made 14M this year
Basically if you can protect the rim pretty well in the NBA you're going to get paid. If Willie can prove he can do that then he'll be paid very well for a long time.
I hear ya. I think he and Nerlens each are that type of player. Just curious how many defenders in the league get a max deal for 9 figures. Less than 10 possibly? And I don't think for a second that Bird is blowing smoke.
Thanks Chico! I added the link to the thread starter but it didn't post for whatever reason.
http://kentucky.forums.rivals.com/threads/wcs-response-to-larry-bird.97551/
Earlier thread about same subject.
Earlier thread about same subject.
Used to be when? I mean, Theo Ratliff made $102 million. Sam Dalembert made $87 million. Shawn Bradley made $70 million. If you're a big man that can play defense, the money is there. Always has been. And now there's more money involved than ever, in part because the league is better than it's been in a long time.
Fair points, I must say. I think most knew Bradley would be a bust from the get-go so I sorta throw him out.
But the other 2 are certainly fair comparisons. I am happy for WCS, don't get me wrong, but I honestly never thought "100 million dollar player" when I watched him play.
Bird certainly knows his stuff, though, so I'm sure he is not far off target, if at all.
The Big 3 sports leagues have no shortage of $$$$ to throw around, that's for sure. Glad for WCS that he's gonna get his.
And I agree as well. It's all up to him. 100 mil or bust are possible. Personally I think he'll land somewhere in between, last awhile because of his athletic skills, but never become a truly big time 10's of millions type player ala Wall, Cousins, Bledsoe, and certainly soon to be Davis.
WCS has all the potential in the world. He gets disinterested in the game too easily.
If the kid had a Chuck Hayes motor, or MKG, then he'd be unstoppable.
If the kid had a Chuck Hayes motor, or MKG, then he'd be unstoppable.
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