Mike DeCourcy

madskilz

Freshman
Dec 25, 2003
16,630
74
0
Mike DeCourcy thought that Tray Lyles and Keven Booker both would have benefited immensely if they would have returned to Kentucky for another year. In that year they could have learned how to go from a good player to a dominate player. He used Michael Beasley as an example.
 

akaukswoosh

Hall of Famer
Jan 14, 2006
80,507
123,503
93
Lyles would have been a super soph and top 5 pick. Apparently didn't matter to his people.
 

KYDave32

Redshirt
Jan 26, 2010
5,651
18
0
Originally posted by madskilz:
Mike DeCourcy thought that Tray Lyles and Keven Booker both would have benefited immensely if they would have returned to Kentucky for another year. In that year they could have learned how to go from a good player to a dominate player. He used Michael Beasley as an example.
They said the same thing about Derrick Bledsoe also but he turned out fine..
 

W_Heisenberg

All-Conference
Aug 2, 2013
2,435
1,075
0
The money difference between where these guys are being projected to go and moving up to around 8-10 isn't significant over the course of a career. They are much better off going early, getting the first contract out of the way, and moving to bigger bucks. Losing a year off a NBA career costs a lot more than what you could give up in the draft.

Lyles could have maybe worked up to 10-ish range, but top 5 would be tough considering you have guys like Maker, Skal, Simmons, Brown, etc. coming in.

Michael Beasley is a poor example because he didn't have the work ethic as others, no college coach was going to teach him how to stop smoking weed.
 
Dec 12, 2007
68,157
14,860
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I'm sure there are a ton of examples of guys that should have come back, but the lure of that much money when you are 18 or 19 is too much to pass up for most people.
 

reignof cats

Redshirt
Apr 4, 2012
5,163
24
0
He also used Xavier Henry and Josh Selby as 1 and dones who did not pan out. Funny they both went to Kansas and have nothing to do with Cal. Booker and Lyles are going to be fine. MD sounds like he is a hater. GBB
 

TortElvisII

Heisman
May 7, 2010
51,700
96,942
66
Tray Lyles and Kevin Booker should stay in school as neither is on a draft board anywhere.
 

Kommonwealth

Senior
Oct 7, 2010
5,236
476
0
I read the article and it was pretty spot on. Also, he used Blake Griffin as an example, not Beasley.

He made a great point and is correct in how both would benefit from a return to college, but they'll be fine either way. If both wanted to chase the dream of a top 5 or top 10 pick then they'd come back but still being in the lottery is all the same.
 

W_Heisenberg

All-Conference
Aug 2, 2013
2,435
1,075
0
Last I checked Henry is playing the Lakers, he was never going to be a star, just a role player.

Selby is a head case, poor example.
 

CatDaddy4daWin

All-Conference
Dec 11, 2013
6,161
1,604
113
I guess the only good thing about going in the 15-20 range vs top 10 is you go to a much better team and probably get to be brought along slowly vs having to be the man on a terrible team.
 

revcort

Heisman
Feb 20, 2003
32,522
30,904
113
Originally posted by reignof cats:
He also used Xavier Henry and Josh Selby as 1 and dones who did not pan out. Funny they both went to Kansas and have nothing to do with Cal. Booker and Lyles are going to be fine. MD sounds like he is a hater. GBB


Mike Decourcy is anything but a hater. I agree that Lyles and Booker will be fine but I agree that they could have benefited from another year at UK. MD always gives Calipari and UK fair treatment.
 

UKWildcatT

All-American
Apr 9, 2009
75,546
8,113
0
Originally posted by IL Wildcat:

Originally posted by reignof cats:
He also used Xavier Henry and Josh Selby as 1 and dones who did not pan out. Funny they both went to Kansas and have nothing to do with Cal. Booker and Lyles are going to be fine. MD sounds like he is a hater. GBB


Mike Decourcy is anything but a hater. I agree that Lyles and Booker will be fine but I agree that they could have benefited from another year at UK. MD always gives Calipari and UK fair treatment.
Agreed. DeCourcy is one of the fairest writers out there. I may not agree with 100% of what he says, but I'll respect him because he's at least fair.
 

spotter34

All-American
Dec 31, 2002
19,219
8,450
113
I don't think it's a coincidence that we have 7 players leave the year Poythress suffered a season ending knee injury. Trey and Devin could have possibly improved their draft position but they also could have risked suffering an injury that could have put everything in jeopardy.
 

chris42503

Redshirt
Sep 18, 2009
1,292
23
0
I would love to have them back but Boocer and Liles will be fine and will be be making a lot more cash than Dacorsi makes next year.
 

elwood_blue

Junior
Jan 21, 2004
3,532
296
0
Originally posted by madskilz:
Mike DeCourcy thought that Tray Lyles and Keven Booker both would have benefited immensely if they would have returned to Kentucky for another year. In that year they could have learned how to go from a good player to a dominate player. He used Michael Beasley as an example.
 

Major_Tom

Redshirt
Apr 16, 2010
796
4
0
They should have taken some advice from a few of Tubby's old stars, Jamal Crawford and Jamal Bradley.
 

IYAOYAS1

All-Conference
Dec 15, 2006
31,792
4,411
78
He's right but the American culture today is to chase the $$$ now and worry about the fallout tomorrow. I wish them all luck, but I will miss Willie the most. That dude really gets it and will have a great NBA career.
 

madskilz

Freshman
Dec 25, 2003
16,630
74
0
Originally posted by Kommonwealth:
I read the article and it was pretty spot on. Also, he used Blake Griffin as an example, not Beasley.

He made a great point and is correct in how both would benefit from a return to college, but they'll be fine either way. If both wanted to chase the dream of a top 5 or top 10 pick then they'd come back but still being in the lottery is all the same.
True it was Griffin. Tks
 

UKWildcatT

All-American
Apr 9, 2009
75,546
8,113
0
Originally posted by Kerry Kat:
He's right but the American culture today is to chase the $$$ now and worry about the fallout tomorrow. I wish them all luck, but I will miss Willie the most. That dude really gets it and will have a great NBA career.
He gets it why? He stayed three years?

Good Lord
 

jc2010

All-Conference
May 13, 2008
4,593
4,369
62
Originally posted by MdWIldcat55:
He's right, but so what. They'll both have multi-million dollar careers. It is no doubt safer to take a smaller portion now than risk a devastating injury playing another year in college. And if they perform well enough to get to a second contract, they can mostly catch up to whatever they lost on the first, once you add in that full year of getting paid up front.

I hate the one-and-done system with all my heart and soul as a college basketball fan for fifty years. But as long as it exists, I'd rather see Cal be the master of exploiting it, and part of that is accepting that kids aren't going to be Tim Duncans very often.
I understand what you are saying, but I'm wondering if the second contract might be a much better contract if they played another year in college and gained skills and maturity. They both played rather timid, IMO a dominating player like Towns should definitely go, maybe another year and they get a chance to dominate. There might be more money going that route and there is always the possibility of no second contract so you want all you can in the first.
\
Just wondering, something to think about and kick around
 

Dutycat

Sophomore
Jan 3, 2003
6,002
128
0
On Kansas City sports radio Decourcy went on a rant about Kelly Oubre going pro. He said, "There is absolutely no part of his game that translates to the NBA" ..."He is dominant at nothing"

I think he is traveling the radio circuit to pan early entries one by one.
 

capnmonkey

Redshirt
Feb 6, 2010
978
49
0
Mike is good at his job and is pretty unbiased, if he says it there is probably some truth to it.

Did he have anything to say about Billy Wally Hine?
 

bvmcmanus

Sophomore
Jan 30, 2007
10,658
159
0
I like that he calls it like he sees it, and I agree with him on both Booker and Lyles. Haven't seen enough of Oubre to say definitely, but I probably agree with him on him as well, just as I did with Young. I think all three of those guys showed enough potential and have enough game that they could have moved up considerably the following year with only marginal all around improvement, let alone a jump like I would have expected from both Booker and Lyles.
 

Cats192

Heisman
Apr 22, 2011
14,863
17,703
93
We can argue what's ideal until we're blue in the face. They'll both be first rounders.

Most of these kids just want to be IN the NBA. Most kids are going jump at the first round projections.

They'll bank on improving in the NBA. And making a lot of $$ over the course of their career. But either way, that first contract is life changing. No more classed--you can focus on basketball.
 

fatguy87

All-American
Oct 8, 2004
13,764
9,093
0
Michael Beasley is a terrible example if learning to be dominant is a potential reason for returning. Beasley dominated from day 1. He is easily one of the top 3 freshman of the OAD era in terms of college production, but he still managed to be a bust in the NBA.
 

FtWorthCat

All-Conference
Aug 21, 2001
6,721
4,532
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Yeah, because players never develop in the pros.


With where they are projected, they had to go. They will continue to develop in the NBA, and I doubt either of them spends a whole lot of time in the D-League. If they do play in the D-League though, they will do it making First Round money.
 

bvmcmanus

Sophomore
Jan 30, 2007
10,658
159
0
Originally posted by FtWorthCat:

Yeah, because players never develop in the pros.


With where they are projected, they had to go. They will continue to develop in the NBA, and I doubt either of them spends a whole lot of time in the D-League. If they do play in the D-League though, they will do it making First Round money.
Remember when Blake Grifin had to go? Only at UK do our fans have this absolutely stupid idea of players "having" to go.


And for the record, remember this next year when Devin spends a lot of time down there because he won't be playing much in games.
 

jrm693

All-Conference
Jan 14, 2007
12,360
4,204
68
On Lyles and Booker I would imagine the fact of Poythress getting injured this season plus WCS getting injured last season and I would bet that injury has aggravated and slowed him done a little coupled with their high draft status was just to much to risk staying one more season, I believe based on what he tweeted the other night he(Booker) had every intention of playing at Ky one more season.
 

Kats23

All-American
Nov 21, 2007
8,683
5,913
63
Here's the thing guys like DeCoucy and some of our fans are missing with Booker and Lyles. There is too much of a risk coming back. For Booker He shot 41% from 3 highlighted by that incredibly hot 6 weeks. What if he comes back and doesn't have that hot 6 weeks? Then his % drops and he drops in the draft. For Lyles, he played out of position and was serviceable. Think about what he can do at his natural position? That's what scouts are saying. Why give them another year to pick apart his game in his natural position. The risk to come back is not greater than the reward.
 

Jonathan40330

All-Conference
Dec 23, 2014
1,279
1,591
81
From my viewpoint, it is much easier to criticize young men for accepting hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars to play basketball when it isn't you being offered those incredible sums of money. Many of our players come from lower to middle class families where money of those amounts is damn near unfathomable. So while some may question their decision making since they may possibly been rated higher next season in the draft, I have no issue as it benefits them for life and can always resume their college degree later on if things do not work out in the NBA. Besides, it is not as if Calipari will not have Kentucky in the thick of things next season.
 

.S&C.

All-American
Jul 8, 2014
45,292
6,422
0
Half the post in this thread are ridiculous. Decoursy is a good guy. He loves cal, and he's right. .

This notion that players shouldn't return, take the money, and always risk a career is nonsense and it's one thing I am totally sick of. Not that SOME shouldn't leave, but guys that we pretty much know are going to have greatly improved draft positions should return. Are guys like Blake griffin wrong? Because he will tell you, a good bit of who he is, is because he went back to school.

People are so insecure about our coach. this is exactly the stuff that makes this board Homers.com. No objective analysis but from a few.



This post was edited on 4/11 2:02 PM by .S&C.