Bunch of links, an uncertain amount of news.
1. SportingNews has a great interview with Darius Miller. He seems hopeful and excited for a new season. I guess that’s to be expected, but it’s still a pleasant read.
2. Oh look, Ricky Rubio is creating even more drama for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Now, his former club DKV Joventut has traded him to FC Barcelona, so he won’t be playing in the states until 2011. I’m only upset about this because I think that ultimately he’ll be one of the biggest busts of the draft and I want to see that sooner rather than later.
3. Gregg Doyel writes about the Gillispie situation. Billy G was found driving drunk in Anderson County last week. The police officier claimined Billy G has a fruity scent. Now, Billy G has pled not guilty to charges of drunk driving. I agree with Doyel – on the one hand, Billy G is incredibly lucky this didn’t happen before Pitino and Memphis, but on the other Billy G will have a really hard time finding a job ever again. Three DUIs and suing your employer just look bad.
4. Sonny Vaccaro doesn’t like the NCAA and he makes it known that college basketball is not even remotely about “college” when it comes to recruiting. The big sell – NBA potential. I’m still working out how I feel about it. I value education strongly, but I don’t think that it’s for everyone. College provides opportunities in the form of classes, jobs, extra-curriculars and internships. Being an athlete might fit in with that.
5. Rich Rodriguez spoke out against allegations that he’s overworked his players. After members of the 2008 and 2009 teams came to the local newspaper and spoke under the condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions, all hell broke loose. Rodriguez doesn’t want to be painted like Gillispie – a wonder until he takes the reigns at a storied program where he drives the program into the ground and breaks the souls of the players. Michigan had a losing season and missed a bowl game for the first time in 34 years. That’s really bad news. Now with these allegations, Rodriguez has to worry about losing control of the program.
Tags: Billy Gillispie, college basketball, Darius Miller, DUI, Michigan football, Minnesota Timberwolves, NCAA, Rich Rodriguez, Ricky Rubio, Sonny Vaccaro
Wildcat Notion 
September 2, 2009 at 11:14 AM |
I can’t make up my mind on Rubio–he seems so frail and unorthodox, but the buzz is SO intense about what a good player he’ll be. Why do you think he’ll be a bust, though? Curious.
September 2, 2009 at 12:01 PM |
It’s true that there is a ton of buzz, and I can see where some of it comes from – the guy’s been playing for years, he was the youngest player to play for the Spanish ACB League, ever.
But here’s where my concerns come in:
1. He’s still very young. This doesn’t have to mean that he isn’t mentally prepared, but it does raise a flag. I may be more honed in on this after the Michael Beasley situation.
2. He lacks athleticism. Can you imagine him going up against Tyreke Evans, for instance? I haven’t seen him in an NBA situation, so he may adapt or improve or something, but I am skeptical. He just doesn’t have the speed, build, or force.
3. Playing in Europe isn’t necessarily all it’s cracked up to be. Brandon Jennings saw his stock drop while he played in Italy, some of that due to him and his under-performance, but some of that is also due to his lack of improvement. Great players have come out of Europe, but the style of play is different, the rules are different (more similar to college rules), and it may not be such a great way to prepare for the NBA as previously thought. I’m just skeptical that Rubio’s experiences in the ACB will track to the NBA.