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So what does Jayden Jones do now?

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Apr 29, 2003
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If Corey Sanders landed in Georgia after starting nearly every game in 3 years, where does Jayden end up with 150 minutes and highlights over Merrimack?
 
Jones is hoping that someone gives him a Summer League invite. He'd be little more than roster filler, but it's a chance.
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The kid obviously just didn’t want to be in school. Nothing more to it. Too many fans itching to spin this as a knock on Pike and RU. Good luck to Jaden from here on out.
Agree here. Amazing Pike was able to keep this so tight lipped
 
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The kid obviously just didn’t want to be in school. Nothing more to it. Too many fans itching to spin this as a knock on Pike and RU. Good luck to Jaden from here on out.
Agreed...this should be far from a knock on Pike or RU, I think. Probably this is a situation where Pike saw a young man struggling, for whatever reason, and let him follow whatever path he wanted (without any noise from Rutgers side). Plus, nowadays, any institution, or representative of an institution, needs to be very careful about saying anything publicly about anyone or anything. I'm afraid we are seeing this same situation in the deafening silence surrounding the CVS coaching changing of the guard in WBB. State of the world.
 
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If it had anything to do with Rutgers he would have entered the transfer portal. There’s no way. The only explanation is that the kid didn’t want to be in college whether based on bad advice or factors we are unaware of.
 
Unfortunately for him, there are 40 undrafted players that will probably get a chance before him. Maybe he did not really sign with an agent and he can petition the NCAA to get back into a college program somewhere.






 
in my eyes this is a positive for Pike. He cut bait and that isn’t an easy thing to do. Saves the season.
Yes. I don’t think Pike generally likes to see kids exit the program this way though without graduating. I think he’s going to be careful not to just add a player this season for the sake of filling a schollie unless there is a clear post season exit plan available (I.e. the kid can graduate and move on).
 
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It is crazy there is no place in the NBA for Cockburn and Williams. Didn’t the Knicks waste a ton of money on a center worse than those guys? Jerome James?

didn’t Jon Koncak get a big contract too in the day

where would Mark Eaton fit in todays NBA. Would he be playing golf with Kofi?
Imagine Mark Eaton switching onto a wing on the perimeter from a pick and roll in today's NBA?

Koncak made a LOT of money during that time in the NBA.
#5 pick overall - back when drafting a big white guy seemed like a top priority for most NBA teams
 
It is crazy there is no place in the NBA for Cockburn and Williams. Didn’t the Knicks waste a ton of money on a center worse than those guys? Jerome James?

didn’t Jon Koncak get a big contract too in the day

where would Mark Eaton fit in todays NBA. Would he be playing golf with Kofi?
Mark Eaton would not fit in today’s NBA; the Jerome James deal was like 20 years ago!. We’re a long way past the idea of being 7 feet and able to chew gum while walking gets you an NBA contract. If you subscribe to The Athletic, John Hollinger had a good piece specifically about the dangers of drafting a center with a top 5 pick.

Jaden probably won’t get a stab at a summer league roster which means he won’t get exposure for overseas leagues. He has absolute no tape to show and wasn’t a top 20 guy in high school that makes people want to take a flyer. So it’s one thing if “school isn’t for me and I understand the consequences of that” and another if “I think I’m good enough to ditch school to play pro ball.” I imagine the latter is what happened here, and it’s very unlikely he has any career in basketball or anything requiring a degree now.
 
How about Hakeem Olajuwon or Patrick Ewing? Patrick would have needed to extend his range 5-10 feet nd retire when his knees really got bad. I'd think Hakeem would have adapted.

Kevin McHale wouldn't be in the HOF (I think he is now)
 
"dangers of drafting a center with a top 5 pick."
And yet it used to be what so many teams did.

Olajuwon was drafted before Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and John Stockton
Sam Bowie was #2

Ewing was drafted before... wow, Ewing's draft year was really, really bad
So many BAD big guys, Koncak, Benjamin, Klein, Tisdale - 4 of the top 6 picks

Joe Barry Carroll was drafted #1 in McHale's draft, Mike Gminski #7
 
How about Hakeem Olajuwon or Patrick Ewing? Patrick would have needed to extend his range 5-10 feet nd retire when his knees really got bad. I'd think Hakeem would have adapted.

Kevin McHale wouldn't be in the HOF (I think he is now)
Olajuwon would have adapted, but not Ewing? Olajuwon didn't have an outside shot. He was exclusively a post player. Ewing had range and could hit the three more than any big man prior to 2010. People complained that Ewing shot too much from outside instead of mixing it up in the paint. Ewing went outside as his knees started to give him problems. Ewing range was 18-20, which upset people who thought if you're not going inside, take a step or two further out for the three.
 
One more year at RU I truly believe he’d b on the g league and summer camp type list. Not drafted by more eyes would be on him given his natural gifts. Size and a shot. The rest u let pike instill in you.
 
I generally feel bad for the "kid"
At such young age, he received some really really bad advices from "ADULTS" that could possibly affect rest of his life...
They chose, money over this young kid's life...
Rutgers courses can be tough, more so if you are not inclined to work

I am sure the program tries to find a easier, but still useful pathway regarding courses
Even with that, some just don’t want the hassle
 
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College Basketball Fans: The NBA is terrible. Nobody plays defense anymore. It's a layup line or 3pt shooting.
Also College Basketball Fans: Why doesn't the NBA want these big lumbering slow Centers? How come all the old Centers who could barely move have no place in the NBA today?

It's because of Defense, Defense, Defense.
NBA coaches and teams are smart.
If you put Kofi or Luka Garza on the court in the NBA, the first thing a team will do is going to hunt them into pick and rolls to force a switch.
Kofi is now guarding a smaller, faster player 30ft from the rim.
Play drop coverage and the offense shoots an open 3.
Try to guard him and the offense just blows past him to the rim.
They are unplayable in high-leverage situations.

It's the same reason RHJ didn't get drafted.
At 6'5 240lbs, he is going to have to guard bigger and faster players out on the wing.
Is he going to be able to stay in front of them? That's the question.
 
Agreed with that sentiment especially with Kofi. But Luka actually has been decent in the nba
 
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Olajuwon would have adapted, but not Ewing? Olajuwon didn't have an outside shot. He was exclusively a post player. Ewing had range and could hit the three more than any big man prior to 2010. People complained that Ewing shot too much from outside instead of mixing it up in the paint. Ewing went outside as his knees started to give him problems. Ewing range was 18-20, which upset people who thought if you're not going inside, take a step or two further out for the three.
Olajuwon was a lot more athletic and smooth than Ewing. TBH, out of all the great centers in the past, i think he would be one to be able to adjust to today's game.
 
Agreed with that sentiment especially with Kofi. But Luka actually has been decent in the nba
I have an ongoing conversation with a Uconn/BE fan that Luka has been doing better than Bouknight, a lottery pick. The Uconn fan refuses to believe this. Luka played more minutes and scored more points.
 
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Olajuwon would have adapted, but not Ewing? Olajuwon didn't have an outside shot. He was exclusively a post player. Ewing had range and could hit the three more than any big man prior to 2010. People complained that Ewing shot too much from outside instead of mixing it up in the paint. Ewing went outside as his knees started to give him problems. Ewing range was 18-20, which upset people who thought if you're not going inside, take a step or two further out for the three.
Hakeem was a freak athlete and would have been able to defend away from the basket. I am sure, like Patrick, he would have adapted his offensive game and be a threat from 3.

Shaq I am not sure about
 
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Olajuwon was a lot more athletic and smooth than Ewing. TBH, out of all the great centers in the past, i think he would be one to be able to adjust to today's game.
I understand Olajuwon is more athletic, but that doesn't mean his game is better adapted for today's game. Olajuwon could never stretch the defense like Ewing, which is common for today's centers. Defensively, both would have been fine.
 
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I generally feel bad for the "kid"
At such young age, he received some really really bad advices from "ADULTS" that could possibly affect rest of his life...
They chose, money over this young kid's life...
Just a really strange saga on several levels. But if he had no interest in being in school at all...
 
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I generally feel bad for the "kid"
At such young age, he received some really really bad advices from "ADULTS" that could possibly affect rest of his life...
They chose, money over this young kid's life...

I'm not understanding.
Not everyone wants to go to and stay in college.
There is a reason hundreds of players declare for the draft every year knowing there are only 60 (usually) picks.

Jones knew going into the draft process he was unlikely to be drafted.
Nobody gave him bad advice.
I doubt anyone in his camp or any NBA team was saying "your a guaranteed 2nd round pick" when literally no public media said that.

Did RHJ receive bad advice because he wasn't drafted either? He knew going in it was unlikely.
He could have returned just the same.

It's not a knock on Jones or HC Pike (wow I accidentally wrote HC Rice - first time I've done that).
 
I'm not understanding.
Not everyone wants to go to and stay in college.
There is a reason hundreds of players declare for the draft every year knowing there are only 60 (usually) picks.

Jones knew going into the draft process he was unlikely to be drafted.
Nobody gave him bad advice.
I doubt anyone in his camp or any NBA team was saying "your a guaranteed 2nd round pick" when literally no public media said that.

Did RHJ receive bad advice because he wasn't drafted either? He knew going in it was unlikely.
He could have returned just the same.

It's not a knock on Jones or HC Pike (wow I accidentally wrote HC Rice - first time I've done that).

Norway has a league…
 
I'm not understanding.
Not everyone wants to go to and stay in college.
There is a reason hundreds of players declare for the draft every year knowing there are only 60 (usually) picks.

Jones knew going into the draft process he was unlikely to be drafted.
Nobody gave him bad advice.
I doubt anyone in his camp or any NBA team was saying "your a guaranteed 2nd round pick" when literally no public media said that.

Did RHJ receive bad advice because he wasn't drafted either? He knew going in it was unlikely.
He could have returned just the same.

It's not a knock on Jones or HC Pike (wow I accidentally wrote HC Rice - first time I've done that).
Harper not getting drafted is a mistake 30 teams made as it is a mistake that teams didn’t draft Scottie Pippen Jr. or Johnny Zuzang. Pippen was the best guard in the SEC and carried Vanderbilt on his back when the other team’s focus was on him. Harper , Pippen and Juzang will play and contribute in the NBA. Too many GM’s take flyers on so called potential long term projects when all 3 guys I mentioned can contribute now. You don’t think Ron can stay in front of a wing player on defense ? He has shown that he can and can also recover and block a shot if he is beaten off the dribble. Ron has underrated defensive and blocking skills to go along with his 3 point shooting which was really heated up in transition or late in games when coming from behind. I hope he kills it in Toronto , where that GM is one of the best at identifying talent and production.
 
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