Spalding 1st NBA Start
- Thread starter Ipartiedwithhopgood_rivals307205
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One more year at UofL could have helped him a great deal in his pro career. Still, I wish him the very best and hope he does well.
I don’t agree. He’s been playing against NBA talent. Sharing time with Williams and Enoch wouldn’t have helped him. Now if you mean it would have helped the Cards and us as fans, that’s probably true.
I do agree to an extent, but he made the most of his opportunity. He went up against Randle, he could have done much worse.
So playing against ACC talent and other division one teams compared to not playing at the next level and just practicing wouldn't have helped him more?
I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.
I don’t need no stinking practice. It’s a professional sport. It’s not tiddlywinks. It’s work. You run and lift weights in the morning and you have two a day practices and one on one sessions. You don’t go to classes and socialize. You work your *** off.
The part you forget about is that he’s making $15,400 per week while not playing in the NBA, where he would be making nothing this year at UofL:
Ray Spalding signed a 2 year / $1,601,598 contract with the Phoenix Suns, including $184,746 guaranteed, and an annual average salary of $800,799.
I'm very happy for him. He could have made a bunch more as a lottery pick and he was pretty close to getting there. That's all I'm saying. Still, making 15G's a week is nothing to sneeze at.
Ray wasn’t going to be a lottery pick regardless, maybe late first round, early second. Get your money Youngblood!
I can't remember the last time a player came back and improved their draft stock. Can someone cite an example? Like, someone who went through the camps and was told they wouldn't be drafted, went back to college and became a first rounder or lottery pick? I bet there's not many. Most of these guys get evaluated and they know where they're going to get drafted before Jr year.
Some kid name Donovan Mitchell did unless I'm mistaken. Francisco Garcia did too. I'm sure there are others out there, but I don't pay close attention to other programs.
Less than mediocre second start. 9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 turnover in 19 minutes tonight as the Suns were obliterated by the Rockets 149-113. He started, missed a layup, made a turnover, committed a shooting foul, and was benched after 5 minutes. Such is the life of a free agent rookie!
When Mike said returned to improve their stock, I think he was referencing guys that were on draft boards that passed up being drafted that moved up the following year. Mitchell wasn't on any draft boards after his FR year.
I will give you Garcia though! There have been a few others I'm sure.
But, I don't think it's all that common as it was a decade ago. The NBA is all-in on potential.
Garcia didn’t turn out to be a lottery pick. He chose to come back for his junior year and after that season was chosen 23rd.
Spalding was already a junior and knew he was going to be drafted. There’s no guarantee that he would be drafted after his senior year, and at that point, he would not have had an option to return for another “do over”.
Yes, he could have improved his draft stock in his senior year, but there certainly was no guarantee of that.
Spalding was already a junior and knew he was going to be drafted. There’s no guarantee that he would be drafted after his senior year, and at that point, he would not have had an option to return for another “do over”.
Yes, he could have improved his draft stock in his senior year, but there certainly was no guarantee of that.
Obviously if Ray was told, hey you go back to college, play another year, I guarantee you you’ll be a first rounder, maybe Ray comes back. I don’t know what he was told but I bet it sounded more like this, Ray you’re a middle to late 2nd rounder, with next year’s draft class going pro, you’ll still be a middle to late 2nd rounder. The question is “do you want your money now or take a risk you get hurt or have a bad year”
All speculation by all of us at this point. I'm just really happy that it worked out for him. Since we're speculating, it's possible that he just didn't like the college life. It's not for everyone.