I mean, if people think Matthews is clearly making a mistake by staying in, Chatman is nowhere near as good as Matthews IMO.
I mean, I wouldnât say heâs insanely athletic or anything crazy, but with the added load of work he had to do for the team at UDM as basically a do-it-all sort of player his spot in the team meant he got to showcase what he has more and I was pleasantly surprised. More taking people off the dribble, that sort of thing. Heâs a sort of player that I didnât remember how big (6â9") he was until I looked it up. If he can improve his lateral quickness I think he can at least showcase a bit of âthree-and-dâ capability on a higher pro level.
Yes, but I donât think Chatmanâs draft stock is going to get any higher with one more year of college basketball at a mid-major. Maybe if he went P5 and played real well, but last season with Detroit he got to really showcase what he can do and sometimes that bordered on âtoo much,â if that makes sense. Now, yes, he did this against lower competition, but I think he has elements of his game (stuff like catch-and-shoot/pull-up threes coming off screens) that will translate regardless of skill level. If he thinks that someone will take a chance on him as a UDFA or out in Europe, I donât blame him.
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Why not? What if he has a HUGE year and blows up to the point you canât ignore him.
Well thatâs the risk/reward analysis he must have gone over and decided against. He could very realistically get exposed by the higher level of competition and struggle to be an impact player. Heâd also be another year older, 23, by the time of next draft come around. I donât think his game as its been developed lends itself well to P5 schools also. What made him standout at Detroit is how he did a lot of everything and did it all pretty well. I donât think he can grad-transfer to a high-major and get that sort of opportunity. He could very well have had that sort of big year like you mentioned, but I think even now there will be a professional spot for him and he seems comfortable with that and confident in his skills.
Also, according to their Twitter, heâs working out with the Utah Jazz today along five other players from the state of Utah (two from Utah, one Weber State, one Utah Valley, one Westminster College). Kinda odd that heâs in that group, heâs also listed as a âBigâ and not âWingâ by the Jazz.
The Big Ten team in TBT is set for a potential matchup with the OSU Alumni team. So Dakich, JaeSean Tate, Kam Williams might have to play against other buckeyes. Also, not to get too serious bracketology-wise here but itâs a decent draw for a deep runâŚavoided having TBT powerhouses like Overseas Elite, Boeheimâs Army and Challenge ALS in their region
I hope they win the first two and make it to Atlanta so I can check them out
Tough luck for MAAR. So durable during his time in Ann Arbor. Seems like a strong headed guy and know he will get through this.
SKnight
Wow, really sucks for him. Definitely decreases the likelihood he gets a chance in a teamâs camp because he wonât be able to play during Summer League.
Seemed like foot was bothering most of last season. I have memories of him hobbling around on the court. Tough young man.
It doesnât seem like MAAR gets much respect around here. He was a huge part of Michiganâs success the last two seasons. And yet people seem to think, hey, Poole will step him and do everything that Muhammed did. I donât really see it that way.
Anyway, heal fast Mr. Rahkman!
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I love em both. What Iâve noticed is too much of a tendency to compare freshman Poole to senior MAAR. I think ultimately it will come down to Pooleâs work ethic. Poole probably has more upside but whether he takes advantage of it is anybodyâs guess at this point. Heâs going to have to work for it.
Wow wow wow, I always thought MAAR was much loved here for all that he brought to the table while in AA
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Seems to me that MAAR was a fan favorite on the blog. Much respect. I think maybe what youâre seeing is that many of us are quite excited for JP and are hopeful and optimistic that heâll step into that role and succeed. Different players with different skill sets and SOOOOOO different personalities.
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MAAR was great⌠I think he made JP better every day in practice! He was a great role model and mentorâŚletâs see if JP can defend!
If Poole even becomes an average defender Iâll be happy.
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Looks like Simmons is going over seas to the Swiss league
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Nice! Glad Simmons gets to play professionally. I know last year didnât go as planned when he transferred (for his individual goals at least) but he was a team player and kept a good attitude. He contributed during the Big Ten & NCAA Tournaments as well. Wish him all the best.
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Simmons goal was to make it to the NCAA tournament. He made it to championship game. He has to be thrilled with that, even though playing time wasnât what he hoped.
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