Jennings to Europe Official

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Time will tell if he becomes a trendsetter or another lost cause. Taking on the NBA and the NCAA is pretty ballsy proposition so good luck to him. And speaking of risk-taking, following the advice of Sonny Vaccaro over Lute Olson?

 

[Lefty]

I'm glad it's over. Nic will run the show now. It will be interesting now to see how much playing time Lavender will see because Lute told him he is going to play this year. My starting five looks like this:

Wise
Chase
Horne
Hill
Whithey

I think if Fendi is healthy he will be a big contributer off the bench and Johnson should be the outside specialist. I saw Jacobson play a week ago and the guy does not deserve to have a scholarship. He is slow and not strong at all.

 

[Lefty]

Did Lute really want a kid who was only in it for the money?

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[MaoTosiFanClub]

Jacobsen is terrible, he's Kirk Walters II. Like too many guys over the past few years that he was offered a scholarship (purely to get the overrated Wear Twins) is embarrassment to UA Basketball. That starting five sounds about right, good enough for #25 in a row but we won't win any championships. About on par with ASU, Washington, and USC clearly behind UCLA.

I'd also expect Lute and Dunlap to get at least one international player to come in between now and August or at the semester. If that player(s) can make an impact I'd knock us up a couple seeds.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Did Lute really want a kid who was only in it for the money?

I'm VERY interested to hear what happened with the whole Larry Drew/Brandon Jennings situation.

It also should be interesting what fallout there is with future players. There's a lot of players out there with ties to Sonny Vaccaro so if Jennings is successful I'd expect this to become somewhat of a trend starting with Renardo Sidney next year if not Demar Derozan this summer.

 

[Skkorpion]

When eating or drinking in a restaurant while Sonny Vaccaro is there, it is wise to select a seat where one can put one's back against a wall and keep Vaccaro in view at all times.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

The ironic thing about this whole situation is that had Jim Livengood foresaw the 2008 class inevitably coming apart he would've canned Lute in April and his boy the trainwreck Kevin O'Neill would be directing the team straight to the bottom of the Pac-10. So for once, old Jimbo's stupidity is actually paying off for the 'Cats. Thankfully he's gone with Stoops this December before the transition.

 

[Lefty]

The ironic thing about this whole situation is that had Jim Livengood foresaw the 2008 class inevitably coming apart he would've canned Lute in April and his boy the trainwreck Kevin O'Neill would be directing the team straight to the bottom of the Pac-10. So for once, old Jimbo's stupidity is actually paying off for the 'Cats. Thankfully he's gone with Stoops this December before the transition.

Chase saved this season. He actually benefits from Jennings not coming because he will get more looks, as will Hill and Horne. I don't see any mal-contents or egos on this team, which will be a big plus. Team chemistry is one of the most important things. The 2003 Cats team was not the most athletic but they played as a team.

I am very happy with the coaching staff this year and the players that have already committed for next year. I really believe Gaddy will be coming and Bradley very well could also.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Chase saved this season. He actually benefits from Jennings not coming because he will get more looks, as will Hill and Horne. I don't see any mal-contents or egos on this team, which will be a big plus. Team chemistry is one of the most important things. The 2003 Cats team was not the most athletic but they played as a team.

Chase was going NBA if KO was hired in favor of Lute no matter where he got a guarantee. So too probably was Jordan Hill. Wise and Horne in all likelihood transfer as well in that scenario. Arizona would've looked like Indiana except with Kevin O'Neill at the helm instead of Tom Crean. We'll get #25 just because Lute came back, what the coaches do the rest of the summer will tell us if they'll make it to #26.

And comparing this team to 2003 is quite a stretch. That team had Igoudala and Hassan Adams coming off the bench and started three current NBA players.

 

[ajcardfan]

Come on. After all the raves about how this kid would help UofA be in the hunt for the Final Four this year, am I to believe there is NO disappointment over losing him (or, the kid turning out to be a turd, if you want to spin it that way)? In fact, even a little spin that now the team will be BETTER? If ASU had a recruit touted this highly, in football or basketball, and they washed out, I'd say, "Well, that sucks."

 

[The Commish]

Love. It.

Go Devils.

 

[Lefty]

Chase was going NBA if KO was hired in favor of Lute no matter where he got a guarantee. So too probably was Jordan Hill. Wise and Horne in all likelihood transfer as well in that scenario. Arizona would've looked like Indiana except with Kevin O'Neill at the helm instead of Tom Crean. We'll get #25 just because Lute came back, what the coaches do the rest of the summer will tell us if they'll make it to #26.

And comparing this team to 2003 is quite a stretch. That team had Igoudala and Hassan Adams coming off the bench and started three current NBA players.

I know for a fact Hill was coming back. I have a few friends in the athletic department and they told me no way he was leaving even though the rumors were out there after the season ended. I never worried about Jordan but more on Chase. You are correct in Lute was gone but O'Neill was a nightmare and Lute had to come back.

The 2003 team had some athletes but so does this team with Horne & Hill. I was actually comparing the chemistry of both teams. I have seen some of the guys playing not only at McKale but also playing pickup games at the Rec Center. They seem to be a pretty close group and no egos are getting in the way. The group of Chase, Hill and Nic reminds me of Gardner, Walton and Anderson in terms of chemistry. I have talked to Jordan on more than a few occasions and he is a down to earth guy. He is definitely looking forward to this season and if he can stay out of foul trouble, he will put up monster numbers in the Pac-10.

I attended the UofA from '86 to '90 and the '88 team showed you can have talent but chemistry is very important. That team was talented but not the most athletic team Lute has had, but they knew how to play together. Elliott was a superstar but he cared more about wins than stats. I look at the 2004 team, which had some very talented players in Iggy, Hassan, Frye and Mustafa but the chemistry was horrible. Iggy and Rodgers actually threw punches at each other in a practice and Iggy was more interested in the NBA. It did not surprise me when they lost to a less talented Seton Hall team in the first round of the tournament.

Sorry this was so long but when talking about the program, my passion just comes out and sometimes I don't know when to stop.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Come on. After all the raves about how this kid would help UofA be in the hunt for the Final Four this year, am I to believe there is NO disappointment over losing him (or, the kid turning out to be a turd, if you want to spin it that way)? In fact, even a little spin that now the team will be BETTER? If ASU had a recruit touted this highly, in football or basketball, and they washed out, I'd say, "Well, that sucks."

Would I prefer having him here? Of course. He might be an egomaniac but his talent could mean championship and I'm willing to gamble watching an NBA audition derail the team to an #8 seed in hopes it could mean they hold up a trophy at some point during the season.

However that doesn't mean I think UA will suck without him because they won't. It's not like Jennings is the difference between missing the NIT and making the Final Four. So yeah, I'm disappointed but it's not the end of the world.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Love. It.

Go Devils.

Gotta love the idiocy and cockiness of ASU fan.

All it takes is going 2-0 against the most dysfunctional Arizona team in 25 years and losing at home in the NIT to get your panties wet.

 

[Chaplin]

Two words:

Good riddance.

Jennings would have been nice, but he had some serious problems--and I don't see him solving them in Europe.

 

[Lefty]

Come on. After all the raves about how this kid would help UofA be in the hunt for the Final Four this year, am I to believe there is NO disappointment over losing him (or, the kid turning out to be a turd, if you want to spin it that way)? In fact, even a little spin that now the team will be BETTER? If ASU had a recruit touted this highly, in football or basketball, and they washed out, I'd say, "Well, that sucks."

I have been teetering back and forth on would it be better to have him or not for a year. After reading his quotes the past few weeks, I was leaning towards not wanting him. I have posted that on numerous occasions.

He is a great talent but the Cats have had guys like Jennings before and it has hurt the team more than it helped. Just look at Marcus Williams. His last year he thought he was too good for the other guys and there were some players who could not stand him.

Chris Rodgers and Iggy are a few others to throw in there as players who cared more about themselves than the team.

My personal opinion is the team will miss Jennings talent but they will be better off in the long run. Nic will play his natural position and Lute won't have to worry about him being a headache(nicer word than cancer).

 

[ajcardfan]

Would I prefer having him here? Of course. He might be an egomaniac but his talent could mean championship and I'm willing to gamble watching an NBA audition derail the team to an #8 seed in hopes it could mean they hold up a trophy at some point during the season.

However that doesn't mean I think UA will suck without him because they won't. It's not like Jennings is the difference between missing the NIT and making the Final Four. So yeah, I'm disappointed but it's not the end of the world.

Thanks, Mao. That's a realistic take, and I agree with it. FWIW.

 

[Lefty]

Love. It.

Go Devils.

We'll just have to wait and see how this all plays out but I think it will benefit the Cats in the long run without him. That's just my opinion.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Thanks, Mao. That's a realistic take, and I agree with it. FWIW.

Saying Arizona is better off is purely spin. Even if he melts down and the team underachieves towards the bubble it's still another top 10 pick from Arizona in next year's draft and the fact that the best player in the country still chooses to go to Tucson is huge. But hey, many fans are guilty of such spin in all sports. Recall your fellow ASU fans on this very board a few months back ridiculously saying it was better they made the NIT last year than the Tournament? Recall Cards fans saying we'd be better off with better chemistry with Simeon Rice leaving? Although to be fair Suns fans might be the kings of spin artists.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

The most telling thing for me is that Jennings spurned the school of Lute Olson, a program that has been putting multi-millionaire players in the NBA for decades to be a guinea pig in the experiment of one of the biggest scumbags in Amercican basketball history in Sonny Vaccaro. Not de-commit and play for John Calipari or Rick Pitino or whoever. Not go to the NBDL and receive professional instruction in a structued game similar to the NBA. Not work out under a proven trainer with a track record of developing NBA players. No matter how talented he is that says a lot about Brandon Jennings and the people around him.

 

[The Commish]

Gotta love the idiocy and cockiness of ASU fan.

All it takes is going 2-0 against the most dysfunctional Arizona team in 25 years and losing at home in the NIT to get your panties wet.

Don't think it's idiocy and cockiness to root for my alma mater and enjoy watching your beloved basketball program continue to falter.

In fact I would argue that it's extremely cocky for Euuu of Ehhhh fans to think that they are better off without this kid. Your program isn't that good anymore.

Don't take it too personally, someone has to stir the pot around here.

 

[Russ Smith]

I'm disappointed i wanted to see him and Jrue go at it this year.

That said as I told Mao in a pm earlier I had been told by someone who is usually dead on that the word was Jennings already had his scores and he didn't qualify he was just trying to spin it while they looked at how realistic Europe was.

as Mao said apparently Vaccaro is going to help link up Brandon with a Europe team.

Derozan could be next, he doesn't want to go to Europe but he may have to.

 

[Mulli]

Gotta love the idiocy and cockiness of ASU fan.

All it takes is going 2-0 against the most dysfunctional Arizona team in 25 years and losing at home in the NIT to get your panties wet.

Wow. Touchy. Is it really that unreasonable for an ASU fan to be glad something like this happens to UofA? There were no insults in the Commish's post.

 

[Lefty]

I'm disappointed i wanted to see him and Jrue go at it this year.

That said as I told Mao in a pm earlier I had been told by someone who is usually dead on that the word was Jennings already had his scores and he didn't qualify he was just trying to spin it while they looked at how realistic Europe was.

as Mao said apparently Vaccaro is going to help link up Brandon with a Europe team.

Derozan could be next, he doesn't want to go to Europe but he may have to.

It's clear Jennings is not someone who should be in college. It sucks for those who work their butts off to get into school and then you have a case like Brandon.

Do you really believe Derozan might bolt to Europe also? I thought he was already in at USC.

 

[Russ Smith]

It's clear Jennings is not someone who should be in college. It sucks for those who work their butts off to get into school and then you have a case like Brandon.

Do you really believe Derozan might bolt to Europe also? I thought he was already in at USC.

Derozan hasn't qualified he needs his test score. He told Jeff Goodman on Monday he took the SAT about a week ago and needed the score. Then he told the LA Times yesterday it was the ACT not the SAT, just over a week ago. Last SAT was June 7th, last ACT June 14th so whichever one he took it 3-4 weeks ago and in both cases the scores are already available online.

So it's very similar to Jennings, Demar is saying he doesn't have scores that he should already have which makes you suspect he didn't qualify or ETS challenged his latest score.

As one (admittedly UCLA fan put it) it's too late to cheat on the SAT for Demar (as to why he switched and took the ACT).

There's a story out on Jennings today that says industry insiders think there's 2 more 2008 recruits who might go to Europe, one is Demar, apparently the other one is Renardo Sidney since he's considering skipping his senior year of HS which I guess makes him 2008.