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(10) tOSU vs. (2) Arizona, Sat 3/21 @ 5:15p ET, CBS

I hope DAR does what's best for him. He has a lot of things to improve upon but this isn't the nfl.

When you come back in basketball, those flaws become weaknesses. Right now his potential is remarkable. If he does not improve as much as expected during a sophomore college season, he could slide in the next draft. That's without considering a potential injury.
I hate to say it, but DAR staying probably doesn't help him much. There will be other guys coming into the college ranks that are the next great thing. He can hone his skills much more effectively and with better coaching at the next level.
 
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I hope DAR does what's best for him. He has a lot of things to improve upon but this isn't the nfl.

When you come back in basketball, those flaws become weaknesses. Right now his potential is remarkable. If he does not improve as much as expected during a sophomore college season, he could slide in the next draft. That's without considering a potential injury.

I agree that draft stock-wise, Russell's is as high as it will be. So from that standpoint, if it is most important to him to maximize where he gets picked in the draft, leaving now is the thing to do.
 
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I hate to say it, but DAR staying probably doesn't help him much. There will be other guys coming into the college ranks that are the next great thing. He can hone his skills much more effectively and with better coaching at the next level.

Draft stock can only go down for him from this point. But I disagree with the idea that skill-wise he is definitely better off at the next level - being on an NBA bench and not getting much PT isn't going to help you hone your skills much more effectively than being the go-to guy on a college team. And if you're not ready to play big minutes in the league when you get there, you can get marginalized pretty quickly.
 
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Draft stock can only go down for him from this point. But I disagree with the idea that skill-wise he is definitely better off at the next level - being on an NBA bench and not getting much PT isn't going to help you hone your skills much more effectively than being the go-to guy on a college team. And if you're not ready to play big minutes in the league when you get there, you can get marginalized pretty quickly.
I just don't see him getting any better at tOSU. He can go to the pros and concentrate on basketball 24/7 and under much better tutelage while practicing against much better players. And, while getting paid to boot.
 
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The kid is going to be a lottery pick. Why in the hell would he not get much playing time in the league? Teams that invest top 5 picks don't let those players ride the bench. Hell, they're usually bereft of talent that they have no choice but to let those guys play and develop.
 
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Lottery pick? Perhaps. But there were plenty here who thought Ross and DT leaving early were good ideas - I was not among them. I didn't think either would get drafted and neither did. I think there's a lot of confirmation bias that goes on at fan boards regarding the greatness of the players on their own team. Just over 60 players get drafted in the NBA. At least a dozen of them tend to be young guys from foreign countries as projects. That leaves 50 picks. You have the graduating seniors and all of the guys who leave early. Some years more guys leave early than there are picks - all of them think they will get drafted.
 
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Lottery pick? Perhaps. But there were plenty here who thought Ross and DT leaving early were good ideas - I was not among them. I didn't think either would get drafted and neither did. I think there's a lot of confirmation bias that goes on at fan boards regarding the greatness of the players on their own team. Just over 60 players get drafted in the NBA. At least a dozen of them tend to be young guys from foreign countries as projects. That leaves 50 picks. You have the graduating seniors and all of the guys who leave early. Some years more guys leave early than there are picks - all of them think they will get drafted.

He'll be a lottery pick barring an unexpected chronic injury like Sully. Honestly the major thing he can improve is conditioning and strength along with FT shooting. He can do that in the NBA but he'll need even more strength in the NBA.
 
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I do not know what is wrong with some of you guys. I will admit that I have not read this entire thread but what I have read some of you have posted statements that makes it look like the Ohio State players are not trying to win the game. You do not think they want to get all of the defensive and offensive rebounds and make shots and not turn the ball over. Some of you guys should stay away from game threads because I think quite a few of you post with emotions before posting.
 
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Thad was very proud of his team.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The game had already been decided, but Sam Thompson refused to stop attacking the rim. Fighting against the clock, the senior tried to score as many baskets as he could before his Ohio State career ended.

Thompson finished with a team-high 18 points by the time No. 2 Arizona finished No. 10 Ohio State's season with a 73-58 win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

Shannon Scott had 10 points. Amir Williams made some energy plays. Trey McDonald provided some valuable minutes off the bench.

The entire season those four seniors were criticised for not doing enough. Scott played too fast and had a hard time shooting and finishing around the rim, Thompson was far too inconsistent offensively, Williams got pushed around in the paint too easily and McDonald never really came into his own.

But in their final game, those four players did enough.

"I thought those guys played, man," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. You guys know, I kind of put it on them here in the last couple weeks of the season. I thought they did a great job of responding.

"The biggest thing, as I told them today, is that they have represented this university for four years with great class and I am very proud of them for all they've done for us."

By this point in the season, players are who they are. Being in the NCAA Tournament wasn't going to turn them into new players. All four of them were role players, and against the Wildcats, they all played their roles.
http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index....l_seniors_1.html#incart_2box_sports_index.ssf
 
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