I think the day is tomorrow. I’m just not sure whether it is 5:00 PM or 11:59 PM. I actually think it is 11:59 PM on Wednesday.
Agree, we will be fine without a graduate transfer. Without Mathews, Iggy, Livers and Johns will play more, so will be more minutes for Brooks and Nurez. Still hope Mathews coming back, as long as he has not signed with an agent.
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I can see how he decide to stay in the draft. Charles has the physical tools to make it work. It is very possible that he had better than solid workout with some teams and got encouraging feedbacks. There is a lot that we don’t know. Vast majority of us thought that Wilson were not ready, then he went 17 overall.
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For the gambling aficionados here, the best analogy I really think of with this situation is this:
Charles is sitting at the blackjack table and was dealt a 15, the dealer face up card is a 6. You have to stay in that situation but Charles is going completely against the book and wants to hit. The odds and statistics tell you that’s really not a good choice and not the right play.
That’s the type of decision I see if he decides to stay in the draft. He may still win that hand by hitting, but the odds are very low you lose it by busting. It’s not the best decision but it’s his money to gamble on.
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Different scenarios, but DJ was invited to the combine and at least projected in some (many?) mocks as a late first round pick. Charles not being invited to the combine at all is quite telling.
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I think it’s very hard to say that Matthews’s decision is right or wrong without knowing various pieces of information we’re not privy to, including aspects of his personal life and mindset. Even from a basketball perspective, it’s easy to think what could happen if his shooting improves, but it may not. And he was the regional MOP, so it’s not like he’s leaving on a down note.
I think it’s quite easy to say, though, that it was a silly decision to go on Instragram Live a few days before the deadline and then get annoyed when Michigan fans suggest he stay another year.
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Here are my thoughts.
(1) Matthews already has proven he can make a mature, smart decision by deciding to transfer to Michigan in the first place.
(2) Matthews had a good season, played hard and with enthusiasm, and gave positive energy to his team. He played a vital role in a very successful season.
(3) I agree with those who say that he has a lot of upside with some very specific things (e.g., shooting) that can greatly help his draft stock. However, he had a full redshirt season, a full offseason, a full season, and since then to improve his shooting and for whatever reason, it’s not where it needs to be for an NBA 2G.
(4) If he stays in the draft, I wish him the best and good luck to him. If he comes back to Michigan (still holding out hope), I hope he again gives positive energy to the team and sees what the team really needs, which is shooting again, and comes back a much better shooter. IMO, he would be a college star if he could hit 40% from 3 and 75% from FT.
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It’s possible, but it’s believed that he’s only had two workouts (Wizards and Knicks, I believe) and that he’s been held back by a health issue of some sort. So is it possible he crushed it with either and got a 2nd round guarantee? Certainly possible…but the odds are smaller given he hasn’t been healthy enough to have a bunch of workouts.
If he were staying in wouldn’t he have an agent by now that would be working to set up as many workouts as possible?
He definitely had a workout with the Nuggets
Its possible that he has hired an agent and it hasnt been made public and possible that we are unaware of some of his workouts… also he doesnt need to get drafted by all teams, just one… if he got that type of guarantee from one or both of the two teams that we KNOW he has worked for, that may be enough
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I’d love to know 1) how many NBA teams offer guarantees to second round picks, 2) what percentage of guarantees end up actually getting picked when higher rated players inevitably end up falling, and 3) how many players that don’t even get invited to the combine have ever received a guarantee from a team.
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Frankly, the only kind of guarantee I’d be interested in when the stakes are this high, would be a written guarantee. Your point, Buckets, about higher rated players falling and then being drafted instead of a player who received a “promise” is an excellent one. Again, this is a huge deal. I’d want something in writing, especially if I were doing something that many would consider to be very risky.
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This is where having an agent matters. A team breaks a guarantee to a single player they don’t ultimately draft? Literally doesn’t matter. A team breaks a guarantee to an agent…they end up paying for that in the long term.
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Might be Nuggets and Knicks then. I’m certain on the Knicks, wasn’t sure on the other.
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Great discussion !!
My 2 cents…if Mo goes in the first round then he definitely improved his draft by staying another year. If he doesn’t go in the first round, then playing another year at UM didn’t help so much.
For CM to go from not being invited to the combine, return to UM for another year, and then be a top 20 draft pick seems unlikely.
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Actually, I think if he does come back there is a very good chance he will be picked in the top 20 in next year’s draft. I hope we’re able to test that supposition.
You know, it’s possible this is all just a game. It’s possible Charles is “playing” with all of these folks on twitter and the message boards. Maybe tomorrow he’ll say, “Of course I’m coming back. I definitely want to be an NBA player. I KNOW I have the ability. But I also know what I have to work on, and I know that with one more year under Coach B and staff including Coach Sanderson, I will be READY. I have GREAT confidence in my ability and I plan to show it next year in leading Michigan to a national championship!” In 24-30
hours we should know! 
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Silver, every time you post I extract the all-caps words and it usually makes a nice haiku of sorts.
this time…
NBA KNOW READY GREAT
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I disagree. There were some last year who thought Wagner could have gone undrafted. His play this year solidified him as a guaranteed draft pick with a decent chance at the first round. It was worth it.
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It feels increasingly likely that Charles made his decision a few days ago, informed the staff, and they decided to wait to announce it until tomorrow, shortly before they announce the verbal commitment of a certain 5 star small forward to numb the pain
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