Thanks for the update!
Franz’s decision is now vitally important to Michigan’s season after we have struck out on the transfer market and Jalen Wilson. Would dramatically change the course of the season since he’ll probably play 30+ minutes at the 2.
Thank you! Hopefully missing a playoff game to take the SAT is a good sign for Michigan.
I think he is fully aware of the opportunity that is Michigan in terms of getting PT. However, getting significant minutes at the EuroLeague level, albeit for a weaker team, is something very few 17/18 year olds can claim historically. Therefore it’s really a win-win situation for him I think.
His parents are wealthy and his brother plays in the NBA - money will not be the deciding factor. I would guess he will make his decision some time after his season has ended as Michigan would most likely take him with open arms the regardless of when he commits.
I’m certainly not disagreeing with the assessment (I’d have no basis), but I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around Franz being better than Derrick Walton given what Walton became by the end of his time at Michigan. Was that maybe a flash in the pan and he’s more like the version we saw as a sophomore/junior? Or is Franz just legit that good?
I think it’s probably a combination of Walton not truly being as good as he was during the last 20ish games of his career and it being significantly easier to play opponent-invariant in the off-ball role that Franz plays.
This is not a Walton assessment thread so I will keep it short. He was a dominant player at the college level but has struggled and not stuck around at every team after leaving Michigan. I know he is a hero in your eyes, and rightly so, but he is just not that good at running a team on the professional level (highest level in Europe/NBA).
What does “better” even mean? Yeah, Walton is a better ball handler and is faster and more athletic so if you compare them like that, my statement becomes invalid. Obviously, Franz does not have that level he played at yesterday every night, otherwise he’d start every game and average 20ppg. But in the most important game this season (so far) he stepped up while almost everyone else on the team could not.
Appreciate your thoughts!
What I mean by “not that good”: Walton can get his shot and create for himself. But he can’t finish at the rim and he doesn’t really make his teammates better. If the 3 is falling, he looks great. If not, he often looks lost (which is why Peyton Siva gets the bulk of the minutes for ALBA and a EuroLeague team like Zalgiris Kaunas had not problem letting him walk in the middle of the season).
Hey @thetruth - not sure how plugged you are with Franz, but I had a quick question - ok, maybe questions - I would guess that Franz’s ultimate goal is to be play in the NBA, correct?
So, with that being said - do you think he’s looking for the quickest route to achieve that goal or do you believe that it’s just a goal that he feels comfortable achieving in the near future (3-4 years)?
Walking into a starting job at a high division 1 program with obvious NBA connections - he has a chance to play himself into the NBA after his freshman year (seeing him hang and at times excel with NBA level/physically mature players has me really believing he could put up some big numbers at UM).
I know that ALBA would also afford him opportunities, but are there specifics in German contracts that would be prohibitive of him leaving early (like a significant buyout for the first 1-3 years) to go to the NBA?
not thetruth but an NBA out-clause should be pretty standard in contract for almost all pro-basketball leagues.
Yeah, but different teams/leagues deal with it different - buyouts are common, but the $$$ of the buyout differs. Basically, for a young kid that the team is putting significant resources into they may want to get something back.
To clarify, was really asking if there was any historical precedence regarding ALBA’s handling of buyouts (are they fair, do they set the price high which may prove prohibitive if he isn’t a guaranteed 1st rounder, etc.)…
BREAKING NEWS (not really)
this got me way to excited…
Haha Evan didn’t even give a timeline. Figured at a minimum that would be the news.
May be reading way too much into it but if he really took the SAT and missed a practice that seems like a positive sign.
Agreed, though presents a hurdle I hadn’t previously considered…he does need to pass. Hopefully not an issue.
The potential Robin Benzing issue. By almost all accounts, Franz excels academically though FWIW.
I think it’s every kid’s dream to play in the NBA one day. I would say getting 15-20mins a game for a EuroLeague team will give him great exposure as well and would allow him to enter the draft next year, too. But I agree with your point, IF he takes off in the Big10 he will probably garner more hype just because he is in the US and more “experts” can take a look at him.
NBA outs are fairly standard and as he is currently without contract, I am pretty sure that would be a given for him if he were to sign with ALBA.
My gut feeling: the Wagner family loves Michigan and therefore you guys still have a pretty good chance to get him
I’m hoping this is a Sam Webb type “gut feeling!” 