James Young Not a Bust . . .
- Thread starter Random UK Fan
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I always thought it could go either way with him, I love him cause he is a cat, but I always thought he may have a lazy streak in him for whatever reason.
James Young is useless when he isn't making threes, and even then he's still pretty bad. The Celtics and Brad Stevens are smart people, I was shocked when they drafted him. People keep calling him athletic too, it's like they don't even watch games. He's slow and plodding, he had a couple of nice dunks because he has long arms. My least favorite player of the Cal era.
Yeah it was a horrible mistake. Probably got 10 mil contract. Whose to say he would have done any better staying. How did it work out for Poythress
I dont feel that way at all, I love him because he wanted to be a cat from the time that he was a little boy. HIs favorite player growing up was Tayshaun prince....he would have been here no matter if we had cal or not and i respect that always.
I know it has been discussed time and again here and I don't know the answer for sure, but I am convinced about half of these one and done would be better for the long run to play a few years in college, most want to strike while the iron is hot and its difficult to argue that in the event you get a career ending injury or do not improve, but I would think the percentages would be in favor of maturing their bodies during 32-40 game season VS playing with the big boys 82 plus a year.
I will add it is a little more forgiving in college whereas in the pros it is sink or swim, they usually are compensated well for their time there but would think most probably spend those first contracts on mansions, expensive cars and friends. But back to thread maybe he can play professionally overseas and mature and make it back to NBA if someone else doesn't pick him up, I certainly hope so he loved the Cats.
I guess this is part of a subjective opinion debate...but having kids like Teague, Young, Goodwin, Orton...probably add Skal/Briscoe to that list of kids that jump to leave UK as fast as they can and even with a first round grade...was it really ideal to jump early, sit on some cash in first contract (which with taxes and agents is half of the contract) and out of league before you hit 25 years of age...was it really a great idea to leave UK that early?
I don't know that I would call it a mistake for a kid to go and get drafted in the first round.
He took advantage of a system that allowed him to go and get paid millions of dollars. Unfortunately for him he hasn't taken full advantage of that opportunity. If he would put in the work he could be a solid rotation player, or better. He has all of the physical tools a pro needs, just not the work ethic.
He took advantage of a system that allowed him to go and get paid millions of dollars. Unfortunately for him he hasn't taken full advantage of that opportunity. If he would put in the work he could be a solid rotation player, or better. He has all of the physical tools a pro needs, just not the work ethic.
Yeah, what a moron. Would suck so bad to have already made $3.4 million at age 20 and have another $4.6 million coming to you.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/y/youngja01.html
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/y/youngja01.html
I liked Young. He seemed like a nice kid and was a good teammate while he was here. Did the stuff he was supposed to on and off the court.
As a basketball player, I thought he was a bit overrated. His handle and ball skills were shaky, his jumper was solid but not great, his court awareness was below average and defensively he was absolutely awful.
He was a gritty player though. He had a knack for willing in tough baskets and making plays during critical points. Super athletic too. Good free throw shooter. All in all I'm glad he played here and don't think our 2014 run is possible without him but I'm not surprised he's struggling.
As a basketball player, I thought he was a bit overrated. His handle and ball skills were shaky, his jumper was solid but not great, his court awareness was below average and defensively he was absolutely awful.
He was a gritty player though. He had a knack for willing in tough baskets and making plays during critical points. Super athletic too. Good free throw shooter. All in all I'm glad he played here and don't think our 2014 run is possible without him but I'm not surprised he's struggling.
I'd like for MKG get ahold of him for a season as workout partners. Similar body types, very different work ethics.
Remember the photoshops of him napping in different places? Great thread.
This was just SICK . . . never should have lost to those twerps. Derek in the background thinking "Maybe I should work on my 3 pt. shooting" Alex thinking "Man, next year I'm going to DOMINATE!".
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Not sure why any of our current players would be interested in reading this. James Young signed a contract worth $5.25 million in guaranteed money. Even if he is not resigned by anyone after 3 seasons, he can likely play abroad and make some money. Even if he doesn't, he should have a far better financial start on his "adult" life than the vast majority of college grads, many of whom will have a ton of student loans to pay off.
He was a very frustrating player to watch at times but he was a big reason we made the postseason run and beat wichita st a cpl of years ago. I don't see how he could be anyone's least favorite.
Very few OAD's ever make it to a max second contract. If not getting that max deal equates to being a bust. I wouldn't mind being a bust for 3 or so years. They will make more in that first contract than most average salaried people in their lifetime.
For every James Young, there's an Archie Goodwin. Neither were impressive at UK, but most would argue that Young was better and was on a better team. However, Archie Goodwin's decision to go pro was a good one.
For every Willie Cauley-Stein, there's a Marcus Lee and Alex Poythress. Sometimes, you need time in school to develop, other times you need to go early before you're exposed and old.
It is a calculated decision for all of these guys, but make no bones about it. James Young is in much better shape than Marcus Lee in-terms of future pro and earning potential. Worst case scenario is you end up being a 4-year player who now tries to play pro ball at 22 or 23 years old and regardless of your skills, you're value is greatly diminished.
For every Willie Cauley-Stein, there's a Marcus Lee and Alex Poythress. Sometimes, you need time in school to develop, other times you need to go early before you're exposed and old.
It is a calculated decision for all of these guys, but make no bones about it. James Young is in much better shape than Marcus Lee in-terms of future pro and earning potential. Worst case scenario is you end up being a 4-year player who now tries to play pro ball at 22 or 23 years old and regardless of your skills, you're value is greatly diminished.
Orton and his dad were pretty pitiful. He probably served his role ok, but he was a cancer and the only player Cal had refused to invite back until recently. Kind of speaks for itself.
Skal is a top recruit bust. A total bust. I would think those would be the first kind we don't want.
Goodwin was probably told to take over in anyway he could.
Eh....... Kinda disagree here.
He made about $3.4M over two seasons, and his 3rd (at $1.8M) is not guaranteed, a team option. He'll likely be cut.
This is what I'm thinking. Most people work a lifetime and have to invest well to end up with that kind of dough. So what if he's out of the league at age 25. He is set for life, can go back and finish school later. He may not be able to afford yachts & jets, but could probably live in a gated community. 1st world problems.
It did work out great for him, but I don't see him signing a second contract...hope he has been frugal
Well, according to the linked article, Boston has already picked up his team option for next year. That means he's made roughly $5.2 million during the time he could have been earning his degree at UK. Worst case scenario is playing the rest of his career overseas for $100,000+ tax free a year for 10+ years. Either way, he's 1000x better off right now than had he stayed at UK.
Option was already picked up for 2016/2017 at $1.8 million
People are so dumb when it comes to these kids. He will make a minimum of $5.5 million dollars in 3 years. Even if someone makes $250k a year (which is a very good living) they have to work for 22 years to match what he made in 3.
People are so dumb when it comes to these kids. He will make a minimum of $5.5 million dollars in 3 years. Even if someone makes $250k a year (which is a very good living) they have to work for 22 years to match what he made in 3.
Wow, didn't read down far enough to see they picked up the 3rd year option (stopped like literally before that paragraph), that's kind of surprising to me. At over $5M made, he's definitely done well for himself if he has been at all smart with his money.
There are a handful of players that you could argue left too early under Cal, but Young isn't one of them. Lamb, Teague, Harrisons, Dakari, Orton and Liggins are the only ones I can think of. Even of those players, I'd say they all made the right decision, with the Harrisons and Dakari to be determined.
It's an argument without a definite answer. Is it better to make $5.0 MM before the age of 25 even if life skills are limited? Easy answer is yes, but it depends on the person. The statistics aren't very kind. A very healthy percentage of athletes go broke within a few years of leaving the game. Professional athletes have a lot more folks on the payroll than you or me - high tax bracket, gated neighborhood, agent, accountant, attorney, security, to name a few. There are also a lot of leeches that are hard to fend off. Hope our guys have been smart with their money.
But had Young stayed would he have been exposed and maybe never drafted in the 1st round? Chad Ford mentioned that Poythress would have went top 20 in the NBA draft after his FR year. He stayed and he was somewhat exposed and was also injured. Now Poy may not even make the 2nd round. Would AP had been better off making $5 million before they realized he may not be cut out for the NBA?
I would think so and using that logic, if you are a 1st round pick, you almost have to go unless you're in a strong draft and know the next one will be much weaker. Even then, it's a gamble to not take the money and work your butt off to improve while playing in the league (or D-League) with no restrictions on practice, school to attend, NCAA rules to follow, etc.
I would think so and using that logic, if you are a 1st round pick, you almost have to go unless you're in a strong draft and know the next one will be much weaker. Even then, it's a gamble to not take the money and work your butt off to improve while playing in the league (or D-League) with no restrictions on practice, school to attend, NCAA rules to follow, etc.
I liked both of these guys but they were so frustrating to watch. Archie was in a bad position bc he was asked to do so much. Harrow just wasnt mentally tough enough for Cal. Maybe my least favorite is a current player on the team in Mulder. Nothing against the kid personally but i had to listen to a good buddy try and continually hype mulder and complain he didnt get minutes all this season. Every week hed txt n b*tch about it. Just sort of made me detest the guy. Other than that probably sleepy 3- darnell dodson.
This was just SICK . . . never should have lost to those twerps. Derek in the background thinking "Maybe I should work on my 3 pt. shooting" Alex thinking "Man, next year I'm going to DOMINATE!".
If Willie doesn't get hurt we have won it. He would have made a huge difference in that game.
Sucks that you could say the same about Alex the next season. We've been snake bit by injuries since winning the title.