Changing the thread a little bit. Hopefully Michigan Gained something by being mentioned in these recruitments. It does get the block M out in another venue that as fans we might not have been seeing recently. It is possible that hearing these guys would come
play here helped with the Dickenson and Williams recruitments.
Hereâs how I see it.
The kid is obviously very talented - a future pro and perhaps even an all star caliber player if his career is managed the right way.
He seemed to want to come to Michigan. I donât love the idea that a parent would override that decision, especially since objectively, itâs not a bad decision, and heâs literally one year away from getting paid a lot of money anyway. And letâs not pretend this doesnât happen from time to time - see the Sean Higgins Sports Illustrated story from 30 years ago.
With that said, the new money on the table from the G-League, which does seem to be a very recent development, changes the equation. If Isaiah Todd is going make $250,000 or more next year, and get strong coaching (I canât see the NBA devoting these kind of resources to this concept without also getting these kids some good coaches), I canât fault his mom for preferring that route. Or, at least, thereâs some strong logic to it.
Letâs say Todd wants Michigan, and mom wants him to turn pro (which is what I think was the case - though again, with this new G-League situation, maybe he wants it too). Then what?
Finally, the whole debate was about whether Todd ever planned to play at Michigan. My view - Michigan was a backup plan in case pro options did not work out. I think Isaiah wanted to come, I think his mom wanted him to make money. Once the corona virus became an issue, the odds of him coming to Michigan increased - but this new G-League situation is a game-changer.
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âMe and my family have been going through this process for a while now,â said Todd, who officially decommited from the University of Michigan on April 14 and had been considering other options to play overseas. âMe and my mom talked, and we both agreed that this is the best thing for us and me reaching my goal. My lifelong dream is to be in the NBA and to be drafted. Just learning from guys that have been in the position of being in the NBA, and learning how to be a pro, I want that.â
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Serious question: are you really asking Dotman who Woj is?
Quotes from the kid himself. I think it puts that debate to rest unless people want to litigate that he was untruthful about his quotes!
Is mazs really asking DeAngelo Vickers if he is really asking Dotman if he knows who Woj is?
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Itâs very possible this is also what he wanted. If so, then I have no reason to criticize his mom or anyone else advising him.
But come on, youâre not really suggesting people always tell the truth to reporters, are you?
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I mean, no surprise youâd be the one willing to litigate someoneâs quoted words. Too funny.
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âI did not have sexual relations with that woman.â Bill Clinton.
For all I know, Todd agreed with everything his mom wanted him to do.
Having said that, kids often do what their parents want or push them to do. You ever hear Chris Speilman describe his college choice between Michigan and OSU?
If that were the case, what is Todd going to do, tell some reporter he barely knows, âI wanted to go to Michigan, but my mom really wanted me to turn pro.â Very doubtful.
Equally doubtful is the idea that he was coming to Michigan all along but some unspecified academic issue forced him to consider his pro options within the past two weeks.
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Imagine how the g-league guys making league minimum are going to feel about these kids taking their opportunities. There are going to be some bloodbath situations when these kids play other teams.
I havenât read any details on the G-league team⌠Is this a strictly one year contract then they would have to declare for the draft or go overseas to continue playing?
Based on what I have seen yes. If they dont get drafted or signed as a free agent, I would guess the options are overseas or going back into general g league.
I donât think anyone has said or insinuated this. Itâs clear the pro option has been in consideration the entire time, even if the specifics werenât hammered out. He made the choice and the reasons could be multiple: financial incentives, parental pushes, the G League becoming a viable option amidst a global pandemic, his friend (JC) opting to commit somewhere other than his preferred school, and, yes, possible eligibility reasons⌠or some combination of the the above and more.
With all due respect, I donât think you have been following the entire Todd thread that closely. But thatâs OK, itâs long and at this point, probably irrelevant.
Great story. You mentioning Spielman reminded me of Marc Spindlerâs story about committing to Pitt instead of Iowa. All about family, indeed.
Well theyâre technically building a new team to accommodate these players so they wonât be taking any G-League roster spots. Iâm sure theyâll take some lumps but no G-League veteran is going to do anything stupid or dangerous. They know how expendable they already are.
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This is the equivalent of recruiting a think tank of MBAâs to a company and giving them the world and all the perks and then having them work with other departments of more entrenched employees whoâve not been giving those same opportunities and not expecting some resentment. The g-league vets that theyâll be playing are going to want to show up the first rounder. No violence of course but theyâll be bringing a different level of effort than they might against the Drive.
Because there absolutely was dog-whistle racial stuff that got posted, and deleted.
Pretty sure everyone in the G League is busting their ass because they want to make it. Donât really think anyone in the league can afford to half ass it to begin with.
Also this new team is not playing a full schedule of games AFAIK. More focused on development.