Some rumblings on Illinois boards recently that Kofi may be a goner
Rumblings that Xavier Tillman will return to Michigan State for his senior season. Hopefully not true
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Of course that would happen after XT has already graduated, had 2 kids and the uncertainty of college sports is still looming. Why not come back and possibly not even play/finish your season at MSU when you could be making money in the NBA? NBA is clearly trying to make things work in this environment, but college sports are still a huge unknown. So yeah, makes sense.
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Izzo magic.
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Yeah considering the uncertainty of college hoops this is borderline insane to me. If nba teams arenât sold on him as a first rounder, What could Xavier Tillman do next year that would move him into the first round?
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You mean begging crying and whining.
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I would literally call it criminal if he convinced Tillman to come back. I love having young men stay in school and get their education, BUT, like Adam says, XT has ALREADY graduated and he has two kids to support. He WILL get drafted and some mocks have him going in the first round. Staying in the draft is, frankly, the responsible thing to do, and this isnât a Michigan/Michigan State thing for me. I canât imagine how, in good conscience, Izzo could convince him to stay another year, and I felt that way BEFORE the season was in jeopardy!
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Maybe this is too uncharitable (and if so Iâd be happy to delete it), but if your advice more or less boils down to âyou should return for another yearâ regardless of the player/circumstance, then I think Izzoâs looking after his own best interest and not the interest of his player.
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Another great essay Silver. Izzo is selfish if he gets away with this.
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Itâs not all on Izzo. Tillman, by all accounts, is just an all around great person. But he would be making an unfathomably idiotic choice if he returns.
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This could be nothing because Dickie V sometimes gets confused about what the internet is, but he also is tight with Izzo and others so this could be something
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Unless he starts hitting threes at a regular clip, I donât really see how he can elevate his stock any further. Not to mention the fact that there might not even be a season next year. This one really doesnât make sense in a vacuum. Only way to explain it is MSU catching another break.
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XT doesnât have the type of game to elevate his stock. He isnât going to suddenly get 3 inches taller and he isnât going to develop into a true perimeter big who can shoot and handle the ball. He is what he is - an elite defender, especially in the pick and roll, who will be a solid rebounder, passer and a glue guy. There really isnât anything he can do in a year to improve his stock and next yearâs draft class is supposed to be a lot better than this year so there will be more talent to compete with for draft positioning. Plus XT would be a year older and viewed by NBA folks as a more finished product. This move just makes no sense any way you look at it.
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From an earlier article, I know Izzo mentioned improving his shot if he came back
Seriously?!? I mean it would not surprise me because Izzo has them all under a voodoo spell but that would have to be one of the most non-senseical draft decisions of all time.
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I would advise Xavier Tillman to stay in the draft â especially when he already graduated, there might not be a season and he has two kids â but you guys seem to be over the top with this notion that he wonât be able to improve or show anything beyond last yearâŚ
He definitely can improve as a perimeter shooter. He also will have the chance to really show himself as more of a playmaker IMO.
Hereâs one take for an NBA Draft-type on Twitter.
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This sort of sucks for two reasons for meâŚ
- Hes going back to msu
- I had my eyes on him for the nuggets first rounder. IMO hes an ideal backup for jokic and a guy that would be a good fit to see some minutes next to him as well.
Guaranteed that Livers stays in the draft now. 2020 is the fâing worst!
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Aaron Torres directly replied to the Dickie V tweet with this too
Itâs just frustration. Especially with the thought being Livers will leave. Michigan will have had 4 players leave to be 2nd round draft picks in two years (yes JP was the 2nd to last pick of 1st round, but was pegged for 2nd). While MSU keeps probable 2nd round picks (And 1st team All Conference players/All-Americans) Winston and Tillman for extra seasons(not to mention Henry, who probably should return). Just super frustrating, and basically makes it impossible for Michigan to be better than MSU under the circumstances
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