The House of Blue

Even then in the NBA there are no restrictions on how often you can practice and you don't have to go to school. So you can devote your entire life to perfecting your game. Playing time helps but is not a requirement to getting better in the league for the reasons I just mentioned. Plus there is the D League and many teams are using the D League route more effectively than they used to. Anymore guys like the 3 we've got if they do come back it will only be because they enjoy the college life and want to soak that up for another year. WCS is a little different though because of his size and upside. He could play himself into the top 5 easily next year vs. late lotto this year. Pretty big difference especially like I said if you enjoy the college life and want to hang on to it for just a little longer. Ask the guys that went pro after a year. Almost all of them wish they would have stayed. The team concept in college is much different than in the NBA where guys are playing for contracts and to feed their families. Just a much different atmosphere.

Noel has elite level quickness though. The likes that have never been seen before. Both off the floor and laterally for a big man. He moves like a small forward. Yet after a few years bulking up(which this injury might be a good thing for) he has the length and athleticism to guard any big in the league so he's gonna create matchup problems for bigs that just won't be able to stay with him. Especially if he's able to work on his ball handling he can take other bigs off the dribble. And don't say well you won't have to guard him out there. Actually you will because if you don't all he'll have to do is set a pick and boom there is a wide open shot for a guard. Lets also not forget Noel has something special about him when it comes to working hard and playing hard. It was easy to tell from the very beginning that he's a special kid. He's tough and has a will to win that you don't find all that often. Let us also not forget that the league is devoid of excellent Centers. He'll not doubt be a starter in the league within 3 years IMO.

Lets say he doesn't bulk up and doesn't end up being a start in the league. At the very very least he'd be incredible role player who's skill is as a hustle player and block shot artist. He could survive in the league for 15 years just off that skill set alone. And be coveted by many teams.

It's about potential and all the guys we're talking about have loads of potential. This year's draft is historically weak too. All that adds up to teams making massive reaches.

Who says they have potential, except for Noel? None of the other guys, except, maybe for WCS. The other guys are so inconsistent you can't judge if there's potential there, or not. You can't say a player has potential because he has a good game every now and then. We have a couple of guys whose stats are elevated because of what they did early in the season against weak teams and maybe a good game or 2 since then. I still think a lot of people are saying they have potential because of their high school reputation. Well, they're not in high school anymore and the competition gets better all the time. I think we have some guys that have just been overrated when ti comes to potential. Not saying I'm right, just my opinion.
Even if we have some guys come back, I'm not sure they'll get better. Their attitude will have to change first.

I'm not saying this to be a jerk, but it's pretty obvious Ukblueforever doesn't understand the definition of "potential"

Ultimately, it is a gamble either way for most of these kids. People can talk about unlimited practice time in the NBA but who are going to practice against during that "unlimited" time. Once teams get into the season they may have one or two real practices a week (with games and travel). The biggest thing about staying in college longer is developing the confidence necessary to believe that you belong on the court once you get to the league. And by confidence, I'm not talking about an irrational belief in one's ability but an honest understanding of what you are capable of and knowing that you will make those plays more often than not.

The risk with staying in college is that they may never develop into an NBA player and, at best, make a living playing basketball over seas somewhere. Of course, they will have their degree meaning that their free education can set them up for success in an entirely different career as well. BUT, if an NBA team is going to guarantee them money while their potential is still just that -- potential -- it would be pretty hard for me to find fault with them for going after that money.