Isaiah Thomas Declares For 2011 NBA Draft
Well, this is interesting. Originally, I thought he'd be just testing the waters. Then his statement arrived and it sounded like a goodbye.
For Washington, this would be a tough blow. For WSU, take note: We could be going through this same thing shortly.
Update: Yep, that was it. Thomas will stay in the draft "no matter what happens." There were some interesting quotes I'll get to later dealing with the rule change. He said underclassmen don't have enough time to accurately test the waters, which directly relates to us.
about 1 year ago
Brian Floyd
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I wondered if this would happen.
And yes that sounded like a goodbye. I feel like he would have made it sound less definite if he was just planning on testing the waters.
Attractive, Intelligent, Short Attention Span, Timbers Fan Reader
He hasn't hired an agent yet
So I’m keeping my fingers crossed, but the statement does make it sound like it’s just a matter of time.
Bringing Purple to Pullman
by Harry the Husky on Mar 31, 2011 12:55 PM PDT up reply actions
That is how I see it too
which makes today a very bad day.
by UW11Bowdown on Mar 31, 2011 12:59 PM PDT up reply actions
This should be even more reason for Klay to stay.
One less threat in the quest for a Pac-12 championship.
To rundown what I added to the stream
Thomas said there’s no chance he’s coming back
Said the NBA doesn’t give underclassmen enough time
Felt he was a mid-first to early-second round pick, which doesn’t jive with anything I’ve been seeing.
Whoever he is listening to is giving him some really bad advice.
by Mark Sandritter on Mar 31, 2011 1:29 PM PDT up reply actions
I actually wondered if he would go pro
But I thought no I haven’t heard anything so probably not.
Attractive, Intelligent, Short Attention Span, Timbers Fan Reader
by Coug999 on Mar 31, 2011 1:41 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
he's either going to sweat it out this year or next year
and next year’s draft is going to be much tougher.
Yeah I don't really blame him.
I mean, he’s basically done everything he can do. His one big negative is his height, and it’s not like he won’t be 5’7 next year.
by Kyle Rancourt on Mar 31, 2011 9:04 PM PDT up reply actions
I think this is the key point...
… he can’t change his height, so whether he goes this year or next is almost irrelevant given what is currently in his game. The mental calculus he’s engaged in is what his draft competition is going to look like.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
@chrislandon
If he's staying in the draft regardless of what he hears back, then why isn't he hiring an agent?
Does he not want to pay the 3 percent fee?
I guess he could be shopping around for an agent, but I would be surprised if he didn’t end up signing with Goodwin Sports Management. They are in Seattle and represent a lot of the local guys including Nate Robinson, Terrence Williams, Jamal Crawford, Wil Conroy and Trey Simmons.
by Mark Sandritter on Mar 31, 2011 1:27 PM PDT reply actions
The Goodwins represented Payton, I think
And Thomas has been spending a lot of time, according to Payton, working with him to get prepared for the NBA.
I feel like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football. Ugh
I think it makes sense for him to leave now
Isaiah was at his best when he was running the point. Next year, with Gaddy and Wroten in the back court, he won’t have the ball in his hands nearly as much. I could see his production dipping and lowering his stock.
Also, why not leave when you only have two classe left
and played good down the stretch. I am not sure if he will get drafted, but coming back next year wouldn’t lock him into getting drafted either. If he is smart he won’t hire an agent, because if the NBA goes into a lockout he can come back.
CougCenter member since 9/2/08
He'll get his degree.
And if the NBA goes into the lockout, he can’t come back anyway, even without an agent, As soon as the deadline passes, in May?, his eligibility goes away.
Also,
Faye Dunaway
Cougar Basketball 2010-2011: *But Wait... There's Moore!*
SBNation Seattle Contributer -- WSU Daily Evergreen Newspaper columnist -- Twitter: @JeffdCollier
What would he have to do to come back?
Enroll in Grad classes to keep his last year of eligibility and not hire an agent. I know the draft is in June, but is the deadline in May for IT because of UW or is that for everyone?
CougCenter member since 9/2/08
He would have to pull his name out before the May deadline
Once a prospect crosses that bridge, their eligibility goes away with or without an agent. It’s an NCAA rule.
Nailed it!
That is what I was wondering. So I have to wait until May, to find out about Klay, I can’t wait for that day, what do ya say?
CougCenter member since 9/2/08
Actually,
I believe that a player must either sign with an agent, or get drafted, or sign a pro contract to lose amateur eligibility. If you remember Randolph Morris of Kentucky, he did none of those things and returned to Kentucky after going through the Draft unpicked.
It’s somewhat ironic that you can return to college if you’re wildly off base (whereas, say, if you think you’ll be picked 15th but are actually picked 50th, you’re just s*** out of luck), but frankly I think Thomas might actually be that far off base, so it’s worth thinking about here.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
Early April fools joke?
Is it me, or does this reek of an early April fools joke? If he does go, good luck to him!
If it is
This is a pretty sick joke. The fans might laugh….but the media sure as hell won’t.
Don't give up, don't ever give up. -Jim Valvano
by Michael The Coug on Mar 31, 2011 3:25 PM PDT up reply actions
After the initial shock wore off, this actually makes a lot of sense to me
Unlike Thompson, I don’t think Thomas has much more room to develop at the college level. He likely wouldn’t improve his stock much, and even if he was playing point guard again next year, I don’t see that he gets much better. The only reason he’d have to stick around is to win. Dude’s already won a Pac-10 title and two Pac-10 tournaments, so …
Good luck to him. He’s one of the few Huskies I admire. I hope he succeeds.
We've spent a lot of time focusing on what could potentially be our roster woes next year, but has anyone looked at UW.
I’m not going to say that they are more severe, but they lose Bryan-Amaning, Holiday, Overton, and Thomas? IT, Bryan-Amaning, and Holiday could arguably be three of their four best players.
Attractive, Intelligent, Short Attention Span, Timbers Fan Reader
UW's got enough size
do they have a guy in their 9-10 man rotation under 6’4"?
The perimeter guys are long
but they only have 3 post players one is a RS freshman, Desmond Simmons, who is only 6’7" 205 lbs. Scout.com evaluation of Simmons:
Needs to polish up game inside the arc so that he can help score around the bucket.N’diyae gets called for almost 7 fouls a game, Gant’s DR% is lower than Abe’s and a block % lower than Klay.
"If you want your dreams to come true, don't sleep in."
Forgot about Jarreau: long and lean 6'10" 200
"If you want your dreams to come true, don't sleep in."
How did his prep season go?
I know he blew a knee his Junior year. Did he come right back to form?
I feel like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football. Ugh
Wasn't a prep season
He played his senior year at Garfield. And he was very good. Although there are some who believe at least Gary Bell and possibly even DaVonte Lacy were better.
I would have before this year
But Bell has looked less than stellar and Wroten has been killing it, plus he appears to be 100%.
His “swagger” puts me off still, but he’s so damn good.
by B Money on Mar 31, 2011 6:05 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
He is damn good.
And I definitely don’t want it to seem like a knock on Wroten. To be honest, I’m just biased because Bell plays about five minutes from my house.
Last year I wanted bell to be a husky
But after watching Wroten year it up this year, I’m excited to watch him and the wonder trio to score a bunch of points.
by B Money on Mar 31, 2011 6:20 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I thought Wroten's jumpshot would be more improved than it was
As a sophomore it was really flat and all I heard was how much work he put in on it over the year of rehab. It’s better, but not as much as I expected.
That said, he was still a dominant force with a complete game, and he scares me with what he might be able to do for you guys. And he was robbed of the McD’s All American, he really should have been selected.
I guess I meant HS season
not sure why I said prep
I feel like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football. Ugh
Dear Klay,
I know we’ve said it (hell, begged) before, but it bares saying again….
PUHHHHHHHHHHHHH-LEASSSSSSEEEEE come back. PLEASE! I’ve already made the conference championship banner! Seriously, do you know how much easier your life just got? Especially if Mike Ladd is as good as talked about and Davonte Lacy is as good as advertised?
Please….sir….please. One more year.
Don't give up, don't ever give up. -Jim Valvano
by Michael The Coug on Mar 31, 2011 3:57 PM PDT reply actions
Dude he's already said he's coming back.
He held up one finger at the end of the game. That’s totally what it meant. There’s no way that you can argue otherwise. 100% pure truth. I was there. I was there.
Attractive, Intelligent, Short Attention Span, Timbers Fan Reader
As we all like to ASSume around here
I think we will know soon. I bet Klay’s dad will tell him not to leave the program in limbo. Let them know right away, so they can plan. If he doesn’t hire an agent, I guess that still leaves us in limbo, which would be the right thing to do for him, but would be a little frustrating for the program.
CougCenter member since 9/2/08
Thank god.
I was worried:
@yung_reg: “him and malcolm lee tryna get me to follow their lead, man college is quite the blast tho! skyyyyblue”
Looks like we get to keep him.
Attractive, Intelligent, Short Attention Span, Timbers Fan Reader
"tryna"? "tho"?
Don’t be worried. Spelling generally improves among upper-classmen which should include Reggie next season.
what are all these kids gonna do when they dont get drafted
Or end up in the d league because they’re a second rounder and don’t make the roster? You all know that I’m not generally a softy, but this actually makes me sad. Who advises these kids? It’s like there’s 50 people all Being told that they are going to get one of five jobs.
by Jo-Jo on Mar 31, 2011 4:54 PM PDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs
Was Isaiah Thomas going to be designing bridges if he stuck around another year?
He’s a 2nd round pick this year, he’s a 2nd round pick next year. It doesn’t really matter.
It would make me sad but after thinking about it
I do think this is the best decision he could have made. His position at the next level, whether that is NBA, D League or Europe, is PG. Next year he won’t be playing nearly as much PG and his stock would be unlikely to rise, so he is getting at at about his peak position. That isn’t that high which even he seemed somewhat aware of when saying he is late first to second round based on what he has been told. And while I think that is inflated it isn’t like he’s going in expecting to be a lottery pick.
He seems close to finishing his degree and I’ll take him at his word that he will, which is the other thing that generally makes me sad when players bail early. So overall I feel like all he is giving up is the “college” experience, and he’s had a great 3 year run at UW. If he is happy with what he’s done, no reason not to be happy for him as he moves to the next phase. Especially if it’s with a degree. His last Pac 10 play will be the tournament and his game against UA, and frankly that is a hell of a way to go out.
i totally get it. and its not just about IT.
It’s the kids in general. That is a year that he’ll never get back. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, players post college fighting in the second tier of pro ball. They don’t realize how good they have it in college. especially in IT’s situation. That team will still be good next year, and he may be sitting in some Shitty hotel room in south Dakota watching his former teammates win the pac-12 tournament in LA and seeing Gaddy all over SpotsCenter. If this doesn’t turn out the way he thinks it will, he could be looking at some serious regret.
by Jo-Jo on Mar 31, 2011 7:57 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
That I will agree with
I’m not sure IT has a future in the NBA, I think he’s more fit for Europe or lower tiers. But we could be wrong.
Assuming we’re right, if he’s floating around middle America on a bus and staying crappy hotels he’ll have some what ifs. If he’s in the NBA he won’t. If he’s starring in Europe, traveling the continent it’s a push.
I'm happy he is gone but...
I enjoyed watching him make crazy shots, and find the open man is the corner. He was exciting.
by luciuswolfey_96 on Mar 31, 2011 5:44 PM PDT reply actions
Calabro ran down a list
of other point guards who could potentially be in the draft this June. There were quite a few good names on there(several still playing) and IT seemed pretty far down the list. He’ll probably be lucky to get drafted.
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