McRoberts bolting Duke for the NBA

[Russ Smith]

No doubt terrified another year at Duke would land him into the 2nd round of the draft.
Duke sophomore McRoberts eligible for NBA draft

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke forward Josh McRoberts has declared himself eligible for the 2007 NBA Draft.

"This was a difficult decision, but I feel it is the best one for me and my family at this point in time," McRoberts said. "I will miss Duke, the coaching staff and my teammates but it has always been goal of mine to play in the NBA."

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said the program is "100 percent behind" McRoberts' decision.

"Josh has been a terrific player for us for the past two years and he will be even better in the future as a professional. Based on our information, it is time for him to move on to the next level and we are ready to help him in any and every way during this process," Krzyzewski said.

In his sophomore season, McRoberts was Duke's second-leading scorer with 13 points per game and led the Blue Devils with 7.9 rebounds per game and .502 field goal percentage

 

[Dback Jon]

Will he get drafted?

 

[Russ Smith]

Will he get drafted?

I think he will go first round late but it's weird it says nothing about is he hiring an agent, he's clearly not talking like he might come back so I assume that means he's all in with an agent?

 

[boisesuns]

Will he get drafted?

I was thinking the same thing. He's not that good.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Duke needs a PG.

 

[Lars the Red]

He's a sneaky/smart player who has good fundamentals. He see's the court well, and passes very well for a big man. His major downfall at this point is strength. The guy needs to get a trainer and work on that Junior High looking muscularity. He's got height, good vision, smarts and a nice touch. Now it's up to him to finish the package and get the strength he needs.

 

[Skkorpion]

He's a sneaky/smart player who has good fundamentals. He see's the court well, and passes very well for a big man. His major downfall at this point is strength. The guy needs to get a trainer and work on that Junior High looking muscularity. He's got height, good vision, smarts and a nice touch. Now it's up to him to finish the package and get the strength he needs.

In other words, he's not ready for the NBA yet but is baling on Duke and coach K. Love it.

 

[Southpaw]

Hoopshype.net has him going #7 to

Phoenix

Josh McRoberts 6-11 PF Duke / Sophomore
A smart and versatile power forward that could have been a top 15 pick two years ago already. Very athletic. Runs the floor well, finishes strong and shows nice potential offensively both facing and with his back to the basket. Possesses soft touch, a good frame and sure hands. Fully ambidextrous and shows it off with his excellent ballhandling and passing skills. Not quite as ambitious offensively as you might hope. His production has been fairly disappointing at times. Doesn't really want to be a go-to guy at the NCAA level and projects as more of a complementary guy as a pro.
Comparison: Chris Webber Stats: 12.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.5 bpg, 49.8 FG%
Rookie season salary*: $1,967,400 Ranking: 4th Power Forward / 2nd Sophomore

 

[Lars the Red]

In other words, he's not ready for the NBA yet but is baling on Duke and coach K. Love it.

He's not making the best decision. I don't know what that would have to do with Coach K? I'd kill to have my son play for him. If McRoberts is smart, he won't get representation and at least leave that door open to return to Duke.

One thing I have noticed about McR, is he's a little lazy. That could be another reason he wants to leave school. He may not like studying or going to class. He wouldn't be the first.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Josh McRoberts makes Channing Frye look like Ben Wallace. Soft is an understatement.

 

[boisesuns]

Hoopshype.net has him going #7 to

Phoenix

Oh I hope not.

 

[Southpaw]

Oh I hope not.

NBA Draftnet has him going 18 to 76ers. He will go 1st round for sure.

 

[Russ Smith]

He's not making the best decision. I don't know what that would have to do with Coach K? I'd kill to have my son play for him. If McRoberts is smart, he won't get representation and at least leave that door open to return to Duke.

One thing I have noticed about McR, is he's a little lazy. That could be another reason he wants to leave school. He may not like studying or going to class. He wouldn't be the first.

Well if you believe Coach K, he told Josh to go. He said they checked and this is the best move for him at this time.

Of course this is the same Coach K that told William Avery and his mom that scouts were telling him Avery was a 2nd rounder and he should stay at Duke. The same scouts had been telling avery he was a first rounder, so he bolted, and then Mrs Avery said Coach K cursed her out and said if he leaves he's going to "BLEEP" up my program. She also claims more than one NBA scout told her point blank Coach K was lying to her that they'd all been telling him Avery was a first rounder.

Sure he SHOULD have stayed, his NBA career went nowhere, but he did get a guaranteed 3 year deal as a pretty high first rounder.

I've mentioned it before I don't know why other teams don't make a bigger deal of the Avery thing. Duke has this crystal pure image around Coach K but
here's a guy and his mom outright accusing him of lying to them to try and get the kid to stay in school.

 

[Lars the Red]

Well if you believe Coach K, he told Josh to go. He said they checked and this is the best move for him at this time.

Of course this is the same Coach K that told William Avery and his mom that scouts were telling him Avery was a 2nd rounder and he should stay at Duke. The same scouts had been telling avery he was a first rounder, so he bolted, and then Mrs Avery said Coach K cursed her out and said if he leaves he's going to "BLEEP" up my program. She also claims more than one NBA scout told her point blank Coach K was lying to her that they'd all been telling him Avery was a first rounder.

Sure he SHOULD have stayed, his NBA career went nowhere, but he did get a guaranteed 3 year deal as a pretty high first rounder.

I've mentioned it before I don't know why other teams don't make a bigger deal of the Avery thing. Duke has this crystal pure image around Coach K but
here's a guy and his mom outright accusing him of lying to them to try and get the kid to stay in school.

Your scenerio kind of supports Coach K's efforts to have him stay in school. He failed in the NBA, and if another year of seasoning, toughening him up would have benefited him, then stretching the truth to say he was a second rounder wasn't such a bad move. It also doesn't take into account the differences we all hear from draft pundits. Maybe K's source did say second rounder. How many times do we hear Kiper say a guy is a late first rounder in football, only to see him drop to the 3rd? Or a sure fire Lottery pick in the NBA falling to the end of the first round? It happens. Avery's mom heard what she wanted to hear. Coach K heard what he wanted to hear, and probably recruited accordingly and was shy a guard.

One other thing to remember about those scouts. Many times they have associations with agents, and giving the best case scenerio to a kid isn't necessarily doing the right thing. They sign with agents, who get their cut and potentially drop in the draft or come into the league unprepared and fail. The agent still gets his cash. The scout didn't completely lie. The kid makes what seems like a lot of money, but in reality, now needs to finish his education and hopes to have been wise with those limited earnings.

His program comes first, and his kids come second, but I don't think that's a bad thing by any stretch. Without that successful program, there would be a lot of players who didn't get an incredible opportunity for a great education and some pretty impressive money professionally.

 

[Russ Smith]

Your scenerio kind of supports Coach K's efforts to have him stay in school. He failed in the NBA, and if another year of seasoning, toughening him up would have benefited him, then stretching the truth to say he was a second rounder wasn't such a bad move. It also doesn't take into account the differences we all hear from draft pundits. Maybe K's source did say second rounder. How many times do we hear Kiper say a guy is a late first rounder in football, only to see him drop to the 3rd? Or a sure fire Lottery pick in the NBA falling to the end of the first round? It happens. Avery's mom heard what she wanted to hear. Coach K heard what he wanted to hear, and probably recruited accordingly and was shy a guard.

One other thing to remember about those scouts. Many times they have associations with agents, and giving the best case scenerio to a kid isn't necessarily doing the right thing. They sign with agents, who get their cut and potentially drop in the draft or come into the league unprepared and fail. The agent still gets his cash. The scout didn't completely lie. The kid makes what seems like a lot of money, but in reality, now needs to finish his education and hopes to have been wise with those limited earnings.

His program comes first, and his kids come second, but I don't think that's a bad thing by any stretch. Without that successful program, there would be a lot of players who didn't get an incredible opportunity for a great education and some pretty impressive money professionally.

the problem in that scenario is that avery and his mom both swear that they talked to Coach K at length about his desire to get to the NBA quickly and Coach K promised them he'd use his contacts to help gauge the NBA interest. So he plays the year, plays well enough, and then Coach K goes and tells him 2nd round when everyone else is saying first round.. The mom says when they informed him they were going into the draft he cursed at her and screamed he's going to F up my program if he leaves this year. Sure guys leaving early are a problem if you don't have a replacement ready, but you can't tell the kid and his mom we'll do what's best for you, and then get mad at them when they take the money.

Maybe staying at Duke would have helped him, maybe not, Duke has had quite a few kids struggle in the NBA and two of the more successful recently were Deng and Maggette, both of whom played only 1 season for Duke. Avery was pretty famous while at Minnesota for how immature he was, he's not totally innocent, but to me if a coach knowingly lies to a kid about draft
status that's something other recruits would really frown upon.

I'm sure other teams in the ACC etc used that for a few years to recruit against Duke, but it clearly didn't hurt their recruiting, the McD's AA's kept coming in.

Very few guys that go early are "ready", it's all about getting into the spot in the first round that gives them a guarantee. There's not a single player in the country this year who I'd say is "ready" to go early including Durant and Oden they both have glaring holes. But reality is they can develop in the NBA while getting paid and both probably will.

 

[Lars the Red]

the problem in that scenario is that avery and his mom both swear that they talked to Coach K at length about his desire to get to the NBA quickly and Coach K promised them he'd use his contacts to help gauge the NBA interest. So he plays the year, plays well enough, and then Coach K goes and tells him 2nd round when everyone else is saying first round.. The mom says when they informed him they were going into the draft he cursed at her and screamed he's going to F up my program if he leaves this year. Sure guys leaving early are a problem if you don't have a replacement ready, but you can't tell the kid and his mom we'll do what's best for you, and then get mad at them when they take the money.

Maybe staying at Duke would have helped him, maybe not, Duke has had quite a few kids struggle in the NBA and two of the more successful recently were Deng and Maggette, both of whom played only 1 season for Duke. Avery was pretty famous while at Minnesota for how immature he was, he's not totally innocent, but to me if a coach knowingly lies to a kid about draft
status that's something other recruits would really frown upon.

I'm sure other teams in the ACC etc used that for a few years to recruit against Duke, but it clearly didn't hurt their recruiting, the McD's AA's kept coming in.

Very few guys that go early are "ready", it's all about getting into the spot in the first round that gives them a guarantee. There's not a single player in the country this year who I'd say is "ready" to go early including Durant and Oden they both have glaring holes. But reality is they can develop in the NBA while getting paid and both probably will.

A couple of issues, Russ. First, Coach K isn't an idiot, and he was in the best position to know if the kid was emotionally ready for the NBA. If the kid and mommy can't handle it, and they want to discard that expertise and go with their extreme wealth of knowledge, that's more their problem than K's. If coach K was frustrated, I'm not one to blame him. Duke isn't the University of Cinci. They actually hope their kids come to become something more than just uneducated basketball players.

As for their success in the NBA, I'd say they've been decent. They haven't had players completely dominate the league, but then again, that's not how they've dominated the college game. They don't do it with individuals, they do it with teams. That isn't the NBA way. As for whether or not they met some people's expectations, that sort of depends on how you saw their skills fitting the professional game.

They have 11 players on rosters including:

Boozer
Deng
Randolph
Maggette
Jones
Hill
Brand
Ewing
Dunleavey
Duhon
Battier

You also had some guys with pretty lengthy careers, several were high picks, but I never saw them as being the dominating players some did, so I don't see the disappointment.

Parks-9 seasons
Laettner-13 seasons
Gminski-14 seasons
Ferry-13 seasons
Dawkins-9 seasons
Alarie-5 seasons
Abdelnaby-5 seasons

Realistically, we never will know what Jason Williams could have done, or Bobby Hurley, had they not been injured. Hurley still managed 5 seasons.

I've always loved the way Duke plays. I love the team effort, even when they are loaded with McD's AA types. I like Coach K being gracious in victory and in defeat.

 

[Russ Smith]

I've always loved the way Duke plays. I love the team effort, even when they are loaded with McD's AA types. I like Coach K being gracious in victory and in defeat.

I like the way they play too but I don't like the way Coach K handled Avery because he made a point (apparently) of telling the kid I'll help you see what the NBA thinks, but then lied to him because it wasn't convenient for his team to lose Avery. That's dishonest, Avery was a poor kid who wanted to get paid quickly. What if he'd stayed and then got hurt and missed out on a guaranteed contract?

I also think the whole Duke is completely clean stuff is a bit of a stretch too but that's not connected to McRoberts or even Avery it's entirely about 3kids, Maggette(myron Piggie), Chris Duhon, and Boozer.


I don't think he's evil or anything, but he's not a saint either.

 

[Lars the Red]

I like the way they play too but I don't like the way Coach K handled Avery because he made a point (apparently) of telling the kid I'll help you see what the NBA thinks, but then lied to him because it wasn't convenient for his team to lose Avery. That's dishonest, Avery was a poor kid who wanted to get paid quickly. What if he'd stayed and then got hurt and missed out on a guaranteed contract?

I also think the whole Duke is completely clean stuff is a bit of a stretch too but that's not connected to McRoberts or even Avery it's entirely about 3kids, Maggette(myron Piggie), Chris Duhon, and Boozer.


I don't think he's evil or anything, but he's not a saint either.

See Russ, your more incline to believe Avery, when by all accounts from the numerous players who have gone before him, Coach K has been pretty darn honest and helpful to those who were considering making the jump. Straight up, I don't believe them. They sound a little to much like folks playing the victim card when they didn't hear an answer they wanted to. You can 'what if' things all day, and it still boils down to a risk every player takes when the play in college or on the playground.

Clean programs are programs who don't knowingly break rules. If boosters get into kids, and coaches don't have clue about it, it's a clean program that has a dirty player. Think UCLA back in the Wooden days. The Wizard was my all time favorite coach, and I will always believe he didn't break rules, but it's pretty obvious he had dirty players on his team.

 

[Russ Smith]

See Russ, your more incline to believe Avery, when by all accounts from the numerous players who have gone before him, Coach K has been pretty darn honest and helpful to those who were considering making the jump. Straight up, I don't believe them. They sound a little to much like folks playing the victim card when they didn't hear an answer they wanted to. You can 'what if' things all day, and it still boils down to a risk every player takes when the play in college or on the playground.

Clean programs are programs who don't knowingly break rules. If boosters get into kids, and coaches don't have clue about it, it's a clean program that has a dirty player. Think UCLA back in the Wooden days. The Wizard was my all time favorite coach, and I will always believe he didn't break rules, but it's pretty obvious he had dirty players on his team.

I don't follow you, K told Avery you're a 2nd rounder, he didn't believe him, went pro, and was picked I think 14th in the first round. So clearly K wasn't right. Avery knew he wasn't NBA ready, he just needed or wanted the money.

Yes Sam Gilbert gave some players at UCLA money, he did it for USC football players too by the way.

the guys I mentioned from Duke were a bit different, if you go to truthaboutduke.com you can find the links (if they're still valid) to news articles by Bob Ryan and some Louisiana writer where they talk in detail about how the mother of Duhon was given a job when she moved to North Carolina. The guy who hired her is a huge Duke fan, has an autographed ball from the 91 team. People who worked there swore the job she got was not listed as available on the company job board, and that a few months after she started, she got a huge raise for no apparent reason. Did Coach K order that, no, but it sure appears to me that a big Duke fan hired Duhon's mom to get him to go to Duke.

the same thing happened with Boozer, his dad was unemployed, got hired by a medical device company working for a guy who is close friends with Coach K. Bret Bearup steered him to Duke, he's publicly admitted he did it, he told Boozer that Chris Burgess was transferring out, Boozer then signed with Duke. And the guy who hired Boozers dad, guess who his financial advisor is... Bret Bearup.

Again did Coach K ask for that to happen I have no idea, but just like Michigan, UCLA and virtually every other school, Duke has fans and boosters etc who have bent the heck out of rules to get players.

 

[Southpaw]

It is also possible that the Avery clan just didn't live up to their own expectations. Fortunate for him that some dumb assed GM picked him that high, but it looks like Rev. Mike's analysis was the more accurate. Moms Avery is probably looking for another payday courtesy of Rev. Mike and Duke.

Maybe Moms Avery doesn't want to get booted out of her newly acquired digs for non payment of mortgage and/or taxes. Her boy , it seems, came to Duke to get the high profile and opt out early. Duke gave him the schollie, which he abused, and now he has a dead end career and no degree. The blame should be spread, but he and Moms made the choices, bad as they turned out. It is always someone else's fault.

Hypocrites on parade. It is the rasnking that is undecided.

As an aside, the new FB coach at U of Miami, Randy Shannon, has taken an historic stance on incoming players. He has said that he does not want players who come to Miami to showcase their perceived talents to the NFL. Too many player have been caught up in the mindset that their visit to the college is just a pit stop to the NFL and their priorities are NFL first, look good second, and win a game, conference, and NC are way down the list. Maybe Duke is suffering the same syndrome. Pit stop players, who destroy programs.

 

[Renz]

As an aside, the new FB coach at U of Miami, Randy Shannon, has taken an historic stance on incoming players. He has said that he does not want players who come to Miami to showcase their perceived talents to the NFL. Too many player have been caught up in the mindset that their visit to the college is just a pit stop to the NFL and their priorities are NFL first, look good second, and win a game, conference, and NC are way down the list. Maybe Duke is suffering the same syndrome. Pit stop players, who destroy programs.

Good luck with that. Is Shannon going to turn away 5-Star recruits who have NFL ambitions?

It would be similar to Lute Olson turning away Jerryd Bayless, or Herb Sendek turning away James Harden. There's no way those players are staying more than two years.

It sounds good to say, "I only want players whose first loyalty is to Miami", but the reality is Shannon will go a couple of season around 7-5 with that policy and then be fired for not winning enough.

 

[Southpaw]

Good luck with that. Is Shannon going to turn away 5-Star recruits who have NFL ambitions?

It would be similar to Lute Olson turning away Jerryd Bayless, or Herb Sendek turning away James Harden. There's no way those players are staying more than two years.

It sounds good to say, "I only want players whose first loyalty is to Miami", but the reality is Shannon will go a couple of season around 7-5 with that policy and then be fired for not winning enough.

Didn't mean to sidetrack the thread. I was trying to make a comparison and possibly explain K's side as the Devil's advocate. I should know better than to bring up MIami.

 

[Russ Smith]

It is also possible that the Avery clan just didn't live up to their own expectations. Fortunate for him that some dumb assed GM picked him that high, but it looks like Rev. Mike's analysis was the more accurate. Moms Avery is probably looking for another payday courtesy of Rev. Mike and Duke.

Maybe Moms Avery doesn't want to get booted out of her newly acquired digs for non payment of mortgage and/or taxes. Her boy , it seems, came to Duke to get the high profile and opt out early. Duke gave him the schollie, which he abused, and now he has a dead end career and no degree. The blame should be spread, but he and Moms made the choices, bad as they turned out. It is always someone else's fault.

Hypocrites on parade. It is the rasnking that is undecided.

As an aside, the new FB coach at U of Miami, Randy Shannon, has taken an historic stance on incoming players. He has said that he does not want players who come to Miami to showcase their perceived talents to the NFL. Too many player have been caught up in the mindset that their visit to the college is just a pit stop to the NFL and their priorities are NFL first, look good second, and win a game, conference, and NC are way down the list. Maybe Duke is suffering the same syndrome. Pit stop players, who destroy programs.

Again I think you miss the point. K didn't tell Avery you're not ready you should stay in school, he told him you're not ready, you won't be picked in the first round, you should stay in school. Those are two ENTIRELY different situations, a first rounder back then got a 3 year guaranteed deal, a 2nd rounder got no guarantee. If you weren't a first rounder for sure, coming out was a huge risk. Avery's mom said they were being told first round, and Coach K lied to them and said his contacts said second round. Avery's contacts were right, he went first round and got the deal.

Maybe he would have been better off staying at Duke, almost certainly, but he wanted the money and if you believe him and his mom, the only reason that K told him 2nd round was he wanted him to stay because he needed him. I can't find the original article by Curry Kirkpatrick of SI but here's a blurb that refers to the article.

-------------------------------

The early focus of the story, written by former Sports Illustrated writer Curry Kirkpatrick, is that Blue Devil basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski had a big disagreement with Avery and his mother, Terri Simonton, in April before Avery announced he was leaving.

Reportedly, Krzyzewski used an expletive to tell Simonton that her son was going to mess up his program. She said Krzyzewski was 'rude, personal.'

'Coach K is selfish,' Simonton told ESPN The Magazine. 'He talks about a so-called close Duke family. But he just wants to protect his program. He lied to us about where William would go in the draft. Late in the first round? Maybe even second round? Come on. Even I could pick up the papers and read he was going earlier than that.'

------------------------------

 

[Southpaw]

Again I think you miss the point. K didn't tell Avery you're not ready you should stay in school, he told him you're not ready, you won't be picked in the first round, you should stay in school. Those are two ENTIRELY different situations, a first rounder back then got a 3 year guaranteed deal, a 2nd rounder got no guarantee. If you weren't a first rounder for sure, coming out was a huge risk. Avery's mom said they were being told first round, and Coach K lied to them and said his contacts said second round. Avery's contacts were right, he went first round and got the deal.

Maybe he would have been better off staying at Duke, almost certainly, but he wanted the money and if you believe him and his mom, the only reason that K told him 2nd round was he wanted him to stay because he needed him. I can't find the original article by Curry Kirkpatrick of SI but here's a blurb that refers to the article.

-------------------------------

The early focus of the story, written by former Sports Illustrated writer Curry Kirkpatrick, is that Blue Devil basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski had a big disagreement with Avery and his mother, Terri Simonton, in April before Avery announced he was leaving.

Reportedly, Krzyzewski used an expletive to tell Simonton that her son was going to mess up his program. She said Krzyzewski was 'rude, personal.'

'Coach K is selfish,' Simonton told ESPN The Magazine. 'He talks about a so-called close Duke family. But he just wants to protect his program. He lied to us about where William would go in the draft. Late in the first round? Maybe even second round? Come on. Even I could pick up the papers and read he was going earlier than that.'

------------------------------

That is a " he said" , " she said ". I have nothing but disdain for the Duke BB program, but Avery and Moms Simonton are sour graping. What is the point of them bringing it up at this point? They got their paycheck, which seems like all he was looking for in the 1st place. It amazes me that people who ask for an opinion, bitch about that opinion when it isn't soemthing they wanted to hear.

BTW Averys accomplishments;

Attended the Westside HS in Augusta, Georgia and the Oak Hill Academy.
Played college ball at Duke until 1999.
Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves as 14th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft.
Played for the Minnesota Timberwolves till 2001-02.
Signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in September 2002. Waived in October.
Signed with Strasbourg (France) in October 2002.
Signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel) in February 2004.
Signed with Azovmash Mariupol (Ukraine) in April 2005.
Signed with Panionios (Greece) in 2005-06.
Signed with Alba Berlin (Germany) in July 2006.
Named 3rd Team Parade All-America in 1998.
Named Honorable Mention All-America by AP in 1999.

BTW
He also P & Med about Flip Saunders not giving Avery the chance to display his ball handling skills. Comes off as a chronic complainer whose life didn't go the way he planned it.

He was drafted 14th in the 1st round by the one and only Kevin McHale, who is not the most brilliant GM in the league.

If you notice in his credentials he palyed one year at Oak Hill Academy. Seems to be a place where you send a player when he is not exactly up to standards academically. How did he get into Duke in the 1st place.

I also factor the S I source into this equation. They write garbage steeped in sensationalism. They are " The Enquirer " of sports journalism.

 

[Russ Smith]

That is a " he said" , " she said ". I have nothing but disdain for the Duke BB program, but Avery and Moms Simonton are sour graping. What is the point of them bringing it up at this point? They got their paycheck, which seems like all he was looking for in the 1st place. It amazes me that people who ask for an opinion, bitch about that opinion when it isn't soemthing they wanted to hear.

BTW Averys accomplishments;

Attended the Westside HS in Augusta, Georgia and the Oak Hill Academy.
Played college ball at Duke until 1999.
Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves as 14th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft.
Played for the Minnesota Timberwolves till 2001-02.
Signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in September 2002. Waived in October.
Signed with Strasbourg (France) in October 2002.
Signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel) in February 2004.
Signed with Azovmash Mariupol (Ukraine) in April 2005.
Signed with Panionios (Greece) in 2005-06.
Signed with Alba Berlin (Germany) in July 2006.
Named 3rd Team Parade All-America in 1998.
Named Honorable Mention All-America by AP in 1999.

BTW
He also P & Med about Flip Saunders not giving Avery the chance to display his ball handling skills. Comes off as a chronic complainer whose life didn't go the way he planned it.

He was drafted 14th in the 1st round by the one and only Kevin McHale, who is not the most brilliant GM in the league.

If you notice in his credentials he palyed one year at Oak Hill Academy. Seems to be a place where you send a player when he is not exactly up to standards academically. How did he get into Duke in the 1st place.

I also factor the S I source into this equation. They write garbage steeped in sensationalism. They are " The Enquirer " of sports journalism.

I don't think he complained about the opinion, he questioned whether the opinion he was given was honest. the Kirkpatrick story said that scouts told Avery and his mom that Coach K was lying to him because they personally had talked to him and told them Avery was a first round lock, but Coach K didn't tell Avery that.

He is a difficult kid, or was, I don't deny that, but his entire focus was getting a first round guarantee so he got paid. If that is your focus having your own coach mislead you is counterproductive and selfish of the coach.

Look at Lute Olson last year, he did the same search for 2 players and told both Marcus Williams and Mustafa Shakur they weren't first rounders. Both tested the waters without an agent. Williams quickly realized he was not a first rounder and came back. Shakur resisted while scouts implored him to go back to school. There were stories about him badmouthing Olson, he told scouts he was hurting his NBA chances etc. But Lute didn't take anything personally, let the kid come back and play etc. In prior years Lute has had kids go early and he's told them to do so if he felt they were ready and would get picked high enough.

I use Lute because he's got about the same longevity at UA that K has at Duke. Howland did the same thing for Farmar and Afflalo last year but that's his only 2 guys who looked at coming out early so far so it seems silly to compare.

Even my coach I love to hate Tim Floyd has been quoted as saying if Nick Young is a lottery pick he will "make him leave early." Avery is the only kid I can recall ever coming out and accusing his coach of lying about that stuff.