2011-2012 Buckeyes Basketball

[improbus]

I don't watch much if any NBA basketball. I do think that players really don't develop when they get to the league. It almost seems like players are who they are when they arrive. Sullinger and Thomas have things to work on. Sullinger if he wants to be a good NBA player needs to hit the mid-range shot with consistancy. Thomas can score but I think he needs to learn more how to score off the bounce as well and pick up his game on defense.

Players absolutely develop in the NBA. Now, you are not going to find guys who go from nothing to elite in a particular skill. So, Anthony Davis is probably never going to have Tim Duncan's skill set. Those elite talents are either genetic or learned early. But, players can develop certain parts of their game. Bruce Bowen learned to hit 3s. Ewings entire offensive game was learned in the pros. Just playing against elite night in and not out improves your game.

I think Sullinger can fit into the Clarence Weatherspoon role of 10 and 10. He's clever around the rim and has a good nose for rebounds. But, his playing time will be dictated by his defense. If he can't defend opposing 4s, he won't play. How does he defend Amare, Durant, Nowitzki, etc... That is a major problem.

[Assembly Hall]

Players absolutely develop in the NBA. Now, you are not going to find guys who go from nothing to elite in a particular skill. So, Anthony Davis is probably never going to have Tim Duncan's skill set. Those elite talents are either genetic or learned early. But, players can develop certain parts of their game. Bruce Bowen learned to hit 3s. Ewings entire offensive game was learned in the pros. Just playing against elite night in and not out improves your game.

I think Sullinger can fit into the Clarence Weatherspoon role of 10 and 10. He's clever around the rim and has a good nose for rebounds. But, his playing time will be dictated by his defense. If he can't defend opposing 4s, he won't play. How does he defend Amare, Durant, Nowitzki, etc... That is a major problem.

Very well said. Ewing is a perfect example of adapting. When he was in college all he had to do was play defense and dunk. He got to the NBA and found out it wasnt as easy to dunk on his defenders at the next level. But he was a talent and actually changed what his personna was. In college he was a defender, in the NBA he was an offensive presence.

4 players from the past come to mind for me when talking the college to pro transition. Wayman Tisdale and Ralph Sampson absolutely dominated the college game when they played. Sure fire NBA stars. They had all the tools. Although Tisdale had a decent career, he never dominated and was pretty much a role player. Sampson had a couple of good years but fizzled. Bill Laimbeer was nothing in college. Went on to a Hall-of-Fame career. Reggie Miller was a dang good college player, but the experts didnt think his game would work in the pros. Well, Reg had a pretty darn good career.

Sometimes ya just never know.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Whoooaaaaa. Kevin Love is ELITE. I don't think Sullinger is even a starter in the league, let alone Kevin Love. Sullinger most reminds me of someone like Glen Davis or Dejuan Blair. A nice player. But he has severe limitations. EVERY team in the NBA throws length at you, there's no running from it. He's going to really struggle with that. And he doesn't have the range that Love has, nor the passing ability.

As a couple others have pointed out, but I will clarify that I'm not saying that Sullinger will become as good as Love, but their games are similar.

Sullinger has a much better perimeter game than Blair or Davis have and has equal or better skills down low.

I think it's important to remember that Sullinger has probably been playing out of position for most of last year and all of this year. He isn't really a 5 he is a solid 4 that can play away from the basket. He has struggled against length but he won't routinely be playing against guys that are that much taller than him like he was this year when he has a true 5 on his team.

[traderumor]

As a couple others have pointed out, but I will clarify that I'm not saying that Sullinger will become as good as Love, but their games are similar.

Sullinger has a much better perimeter game than Blair or Davis have and has equal or better skills down low.

I think it's important to remember that Sullinger has probably been playing out of position for most of last year and all of this year. He isn't really a 5 he is a solid 4 that can play away from the basket. He has struggled against length but he won't routinely be playing against guys that are that much taller than him like he was this year when he has a true 5 on his team.

I think Sullinger may just have to stay for this reason, assuming Thad agrees to play him at the position. With Amir Williams coming along, that is very possible. The NBA may not be sold on his ability to play the 4 and project him lower than will make it an easy decision for him to come out.

Either way, it seems like it may be a gamble. He had a good season, but I don't think he did anything to raise his NBA stock, and probably lowered it.

[Roy Tucker]

Yeah, it's an interesting dilemma.

I think Sullinger would be well-served from a basketball standpoint to stay in college and develop a mid-range game and continue to work on his conditioning. If he comes out now, he'll be challenged to be NBA-competitive and would have to work his tail off (which I would think he'd do, his work ethic seems good). But he'd also be paid millions to do that development as opposed to being paid scholarship-level money (and let's hope that's all he gets). But then there is less pressure in college than the pros (comparatively).

I think Deshaun Thomas can be a Draymond Greene-type player. Not a superstar, but a darn fine PotY-as-a-senior-and-NBA-starter player.

[improbus]

I think it's important to remember that Sullinger has probably been playing out of position for most of last year and all of this year. He isn't really a 5 he is a solid 4 that can play away from the basket. He has struggled against length but he won't routinely be playing against guys that are that much taller than him like he was this year when he has a true 5 on his team.

Except for Pau, Garnett, Al Jefferson, Amare, Duncan, Bosh, LeMarcus, Boogie, Bargnani, Zbo, and Blake. No one else is tall.

[BillDoran]

Just to throw some numbers out there comparing Love and Sullinger (Sullinger's are a composite of his two years vs. Love's single year):

Love - 17.5 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 56% from the field, 35% from 3
Sullinger - 17.3 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 1.2 apg, 53% from the field, 37% from 3

Both are turnstiles on D, both have/had a considerable amount of babyfat in college, both are fairly intelligent players, both have questions about their athleticism.

As has been mentioned, will Sullinger take major steps that Love has? Hard to say. Coming out of college though, tough to find a better comp.

[Assembly Hall]

Good stuff Bill. One thing that will impact Sully's development if he goes is which team he ends up on. A lot of good players get stuck in some bad situations and never develop.

[traderumor]

Press Conference scheduled for 2:15, Sullinger expected to announce going to NBA. Maybe he'll shock the world and say he's staying.

Anyhow, I hate that the Buckeyes don't get four years from guys, but I'm glad they are recruiting guys good enough to be lottery picks after a year or two in school. I an live with it. I still think Sullinger would make more money with at least one more year, but I sure can't begrudge him wanting to start getting paid to play now.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Press Conference scheduled for 2:15, Sullinger expected to announce going to NBA. Maybe he'll shock the world and say he's staying.

Anyhow, I hate that the Buckeyes don't get four years from guys, but I'm glad they are recruiting guys good enough to be lottery picks after a year or two in school. I an live with it. I still think Sullinger would make more money with at least one more year, but I sure can't begrudge him wanting to start getting paid to play now.

Good for Sully. I think it was the right time for him to go. There isn't anything he could do at OSU that he can't learn in the pros while getting paid.

The days of any top program, let alone Ohio State, keeping their top players for 4 years are long gone unless several rule changes happen.

[texasdave]

Two-time Ohio State All-American forward Jared Sullinger is moving on to the NBA.The 6-foot-9 sophomore announced on Wednesday that he is giving up his final two seasons with the Buckeyes to make himself available for the NBA draft on June 28.

He didn't shock the world.

http://www.cnnsi.com/2012/basketball...2_a3&eref=sihp

[BuckeyeRed27]

Thomas is coming back. Big news for next year. He could have a monster year.

Craft
Smith Jr
Thompson
Thomas
Williams

[RiverRat13]

Thomas is coming back. Big news for next year. He could have a monster year.

Craft
Smith Jr
Thompson
Thomas
Williams

I think DT needs to play 15-20 minutes at the 3 next year. OSU simply needs to have more size up front. If Thad can land Alex Oriakhi or Tony Parker, I'd think they'd be in business.

[bucksfan2]

I think DT needs to play 15-20 minutes at the 3 next year. OSU simply needs to have more size up front. If Thad can land Alex Oriakhi or Tony Parker, I'd think they'd be in business.

I don't think DT can guard the 3.

That said this was huge for OSU basketball. Without Thomas they would have been a top 20ish type program next year. With Thomas they are a top 10+ team next season.

[traderumor]

Thomas must not have gotten the projected draft slot that made it a no brainer. I think he will do himself favors and has a chance to earn extra money in college next year (after the draft ) as he will be needed to carry a big load offensively. He will have the opportunity to be the guy and put up some big numbers.