This topic contains 20 replies, has 19 voices, and was last updated by AvatarAvatar Sewok15 11 years ago.

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  • #47340
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    BruinSteve
    Participant

    http://articles.latimes.com/2013/mar/13/sports/la-sp-0314-muhammad-ucla-20130314

    “Shabazz and my wife will have that discussion. If it was up to me, he’d stay at UCLA. I think he needs another year.”
    – Ron Holmes(Shabazz’s dad)

    As a UCLA fan I found it very interesting that his father has said that he would wish Shabazz would come back for another year, mainly to improve his dribbling. He said, “I think he dribbles a bowling ball better than he dribbles a basketball.” Plus Shabazz has fallen from a possible number 1 pick to what looks like a 4-8 pick in this years draft mainly because of his inability to create his own offense off the dribble. Anyone else thinks he stays another year looking for a higher draft status and possible national championship a la Harrison Barnes?

    Another interesting thing was that Shabazz said before the year is that if UCLA does not make the final four he is coming back. Without Jordan Adams we are probably not going that far, and I know that kids say these things all the time but when money is thrown there way they change perspective. However, Shabazz’s family is already very rich. I just find all this interesting, and I am always optimistic about my teams and wish he will come back.

    Any thoughts on this?

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  • #755529
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    WinterSoldier
    Participant

    Harrison Barnes was worse off for staying. I don’t why you use him as an example.

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  • #755531
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    Hitster
    Participant

    Harrison Barnes would probably have gone in a similar spot if he had declared in 2011. It is not about where you get drafted it’s about how ready you feel you are for the NBA and whether you can improve your overall draft stock.

    Next year’s draft looks loaded so Bazz would do well to go in the top 5 then but overall it could make him more NBA ready. Look at Roy Hibbert and Joakim Noah who waited a year respectively in 2007 and 2006 when they would well have gone higher before finally declaring after having an extra year’s NCAA experience and both these were bigs whose size would have got them drafted highly even if they were a work in progress.

    Bazz needs to work on his dribbling otherwise he’ll have problems attacking the basket or playing a creative role in the NBA, he needs to improve his overall game if he does not want to be seen as just a scorer. So I would not be against him returning especially if his father is pushing him to do so.

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  • #755533
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    Reaction
    Participant

    That would be a foolish mistake if he thinks it will improve his draft ranking… next years draft has many phenomenal prospects. However, if it is truly to just improve his handle and skills then why not?

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  • #755532
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    llperez

    I’m not holding my breath.

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  • #755537
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    Professor Rozay
    Participant

    He should just go to the pros. He can work on his ball handling and all that at the next level. His stock is as good as its going to get this year.

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  • #755538
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    GoJOSH HUESTIS
    Participant

    Just about all the parents say their kids shokd stay another year. Many say longer. He’s a top 7 pick. He’s out

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  • #755550
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    Jordo
    Participant

    Why not enter the weaker draft this year and dedicate his summer to developing a better handle and a right hand.

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  • #755569
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    qDizzle32
    Participant

    UCLA became my favorite team to watch this year mainly because I’ve been following Bazz since he played at Bishop Gorman. If he stays that would help him improve his game a lot and it would increase his confidence level as well. Shabazz staying another year would be very smart of him.

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  • #755576
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    Meditated States
    Participant

    Move if he does.

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  • #755587
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    HotSnot
    Participant

    His father is right on the money. Bazz is not ready to be a regular rotation guy in the NBA at the moment. Thats not to say he won’t be a solid starter in the future.

    The discussion becomes, does Bazz take the money to learn on the job in the NBA or return to UCLA to grow/mature with more playing time?

    Its an interesting dilema. I’m not sure what the right answer is, especially with such a stacked draft next year.

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  • #755603
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    Mr. 19134
    Participant

    Bazz can still create better off the dribble then B-Mac so what’s the point of staying another year?

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    • #755611
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      HotSnot
      Participant

      Your comparing apples and oranges. Even if Bazz and McLemore have average handles… thats where the comparison stops. There is nothing similar about the rest of their respective games.

      I’m very confident Bmac can step in and fill a role on an NBA team right now.

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  • #755629
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    PabloFiasco
    Participant

    It’s a good idea just hope he doesn’t have a freak injury to drop his status…if he jumps to the NBA only to struggle and get limited minutes on a bad team where’s the fun in that? Just ask Marvin Williams!
    Staying another year in school to improve his game and enjoying this once and a lifetime experience sounds much better

    He’s much better than Harrison Barnes was at this stage of the game

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    • #755683
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      omphalos
      Participant

      People are still underrating Barnes’ performance in college and it drives me crazy. To say Bazz is much better than Barnes was is crazy, they are almost identical players. They both averaged around 18ppg, they both failed to meet expectations, both failed to create off the dribble, both are excellent in clutch situations. The only difference between Harrison Barnes and Muhammad is that Bazz has a more aggressive mentality, whereas Barnes overthinks too much, but I’d still say Barnes was a better player at the same age from a skill standpoint, he just lacked the assertiveness and selfishness to dominate in college (especially on a team loaded with older players at UNC – a distraction Bazz doesn’t have).

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  • #755639
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    IknoBall12
    Participant

    Why risk injury and other possible negatives by staying in college? Go to the league and get drafted. Work on your handles this summer. I mean he will be getting paid to play ball that’s when he will work 24/7. Might as well get the guaranteed money. Like the poster above said what I’f an freak injury happens? You gotta strike while the iron is hot

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  • #755665
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    sheltwon3
    Participant

    A lot of these kids don’t realize that staying in college just another year longer can help you out in your second contract. You have a lot of people that come out early that don’t show much their rookie contract except for the 2 years leading to an extension. If you start showing signs early and can keep it up, it makes a lot more teams interested in you since some things you can actually work on your own. Shabazz does not need a NBA coach to work on his dribbling. He can stay another year work on that and come out a better prospect. I think if he improves his dribbling he could become a slasher type like Harden is. A lot of teams can use a player like that.

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  • #755674
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    TheLastWord
    Participant

    Huge gamble to go back when you got Wiggins, Parker, Randle, Hill, and Harrison all to contend with next year. He would have a ceiling of 5 next year, and a potential basement of mid teens. I don’t see it happening.

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  • #755678
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    Da1pot
    Participant

    He is a top 10 pick no matter what. Depending on team need, he does still have a shot of being the first overall pick this season. However, If he is thinking about the #1 pick for next season I’d say he has about a zero percent chance with Andrew Wiggins on the board. He will also not be going ahead of Jabari Parker or Julius Randle.

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  • #755729
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    Hitster
    Participant

    The issue of whether to stay or go for a guy like Bazz who looks a very likely top 10 pick is always hard to weigh up and unless he can get some sort of solid feedback about what his draft status would be which no lottery team can really confirm until after the draft lottery. Lets say Detroit liked the look of him at 7 or 8 and Joe Dumars said that indirectly as such, if they then got a top 3 lottery pick they would have to look at prospects maybe ahead of Bazz and so that indirect promise goes up in smoke.

    I’m sure that the top prospects do get lots of inside advice but college coaches could have vested interests for a guy to stay and it has even been rumoured that some HoF college coaches bring guys along slowly to get them to return and so keep their roster stronger.

    If rookie guys are brought along slowly and show development it’s not an issue declaring after a year but if they don’t get the chance to play and get stuck down the rotation, often they can stagnate when if they had stayed in college and progressed more they become more NBA ready.

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  • #755736
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    Sewok15
    Participant

    Shabazz likely would go slightly higher this year then he will next year. I think he is a top 5 or 6 pick this year and unless he somehow changes his entire game in a year he will remain around the same slot. I think he even could move down with the 6 incoming freshmen that top the 2014 mock draft now.

    If he wants to stay for reasons other than improving his draft stock I say do it. The NCAA and especially the Pac 12 are more exciting with Shabazz in it. UCLA could be a very tough team next year if he returns and they get a big guy to play tough defense and rebound. That being said he already has one foot out the door in my opinion.

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