Brandon Jennings to Europe?

by Fox 71 on Jun 26, 2008 2:48 PM PDT

According to an article on Yahoo by Dan Wetzel, Brandon Jennings may decide to play professionally in Europe rather than professionally at Arizona next year. OK, I don't know how to link to Wetzel's article, so shoot me.

I think that's a good idea for guys like Jennings or OJ2 -- guys who are just filling space at a college and taking a scholarship that could be given to an actual student athlete. Sure, we have our own one-an-dones, but if Jennings sets a precedent here, it could end that fiction. Get rid of the artificial barrier to entry into the NBA. Let anyone in who can qualify. But make it clear that you get one decision only - if you elect to go professional, you don't get to play college ball. And if you play college ball, then you're ineligible for the NBA until your class graduates.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

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I always wondered why someone else hasn’t done it first.

by freesia39 on Jun 26, 2008 3:42 PM PDT 0 recs

I did, albeit in the wrong place...

....I linked to this story in the thread re: Lute’s lack of class. Didn’t really generate any discussion there, though, so I’m glad someone picked this up. Whitter and I traded some thoughts on it in another thread and he had some interesting thoughts.

Since I don’t want to type out my thoughts again, I’m going to copy-paste:

I was thinking about how an ass-clown like Lute manages to get some elite recruits, considering how classless he is (esp. in light of his unnecessary rip on Negedu), when I stumbled across this on the WWL.
Apparently, Lute can only get elite prospects when they’re too stupid to not only not get into UCLA but struggle to stay eligible at that pinnacle of higher education, the University of Arizona.

Jennings said he will get his standardized test results back next Thursday. This is the third time he has taken a standardized test. Jennings said he was red-flagged for a jump in his score from the first to the second test. He said he didn’t know his scores.

Apparently Brandon can’t do well enough for the Mildcats. It follows, of course, there’s no way the kid would ever get into UCLA (or Stanford, but I don’t think they’ll be pulling guys without Trent there and with the cupboard totally bare).

But on the upside for Brandon, if things don’t work out and he can’t get admitted to UA, he’ll run off to Europe for a year:

Brandon Jennings, who signed a letter of intent to play at Arizona, is looking at the unprecedented option of playing overseas next season to get ready for the 2009 NBA draft if he’s not eligible to play for the Wildcats next season.

So, as I see it, either way we come out winners. Either Jennings is too dumb to play for the Mildcats and runs off to Europe, leaving Lute with umm, Chase, who we had no problem dealing with last year.

Or, if Jennings does make it into a Mildcat uniform, it makes one wonder how effective of an offense they’ll have with a starting PG who struggles even by UA’s standards. I mean, being a total idiot worked for Duh-von because, well, he wasn’t the floor general. His job was easy. Get rebound. Catch pass. Go to rim. Brandon is expected to run an offense.

Good luck with that one Lute. Makes me glad we got an intelligent, seasoned PG who knows how to take control of a game and run a well-executed offense (who, by the way, wasn’t good enough for Viagra Lute…bet he regrets that call now).

And as for the other part, I said:

As for Jennings running off to Europe, I think that’s more of a desperation move on his part if he can’t get academically eligible to play for Lute this season. I’d love to see the old man deprived of his star recruit (which would basically mean his entire offense is Budinger and the not-at-all fearsome duo of Wise and Hill) (I’m trying not to laugh at Arizona’s misery right now). As for Jefferson, I presume you mean Duh-von, and given his absolute stupidity, I can’t even use the word smart in the same sentence as his name (except for that sentence, of course).
As for the whole Europe thing in general, I’m not surprised it hasn’t happened yet. The new one year out of high school requirement is relatively new and no one has gone to Europe from the States and then returned for the draft.

Sure, European guys get drafted all the time, but the majority aren’t success stories (for every Parker and Dirk, there’s a bunch of Rasho Nestrovic’s, Andrea Bargnari’s, and Darko’s…and that’s not counting all those European second-rounders you never even hear about that end up getting drafted and never coming over at all). That said, even the successful European guys are actually foreign players; none of them are Americans who went there with the intent of returning for the draft. There’s a certain amount of apprehension for breaking the mold, so I’m not too surprised no one has done it yet because no one knows if it’ll work and how well it would work (in terms of maintaining or improving draft status).

As much as NBA scouts hit up the international game, there is still no substitute for playing a year for a top NCAA program, getting national exposure on WWL, etc. The great benefit to staying here rather than Europe is you get to benefit from the Great American Basketball Hype Machine. In Europe, not so much, and you’re playing second fiddle to football (which is by far and away the most dominate sport in Europe). In America? As a college basketball player, you basically own the month of March, so that’s certainly a major advantage for guys who are thinking not only of their draft status, but in terms of future endorsement deals. Name recognition is huge.

And Whitter responded with:

The past history of the European League will no longer apply. The one and done requirement of the NBA will grow the league with a bunch of dummies, e.g. Mayo, Jennings, Jefferson, Gibson and list is endless. The NBA’s attempt to establish a development league could work, but it’s like the minors in baseball. In Europe, a guy like Jennings could make a million with endorsements, so let’s figure, do I stay at Arizona and make nothing but the minimum at $30,000 (Mayo) or jump to Europe and make a million? Like the drug dealer, shall I peddle on the corner and make a $1,000 a day or get a legit job and make $100 a day? There was a comment that Jennings is all about money playing basketball. The college game will again be refreshed with legitimate players, not a bunch of one and dones. Your comment about exposure and March madness, how many of the high profile guys (lottery picks) go beyond the first week-Mayo-no, Beasley-no, Lopez-yes, Bayless-no, Gallinari-no, our guys-yes. Let say these guys go across the ocean, scouts will follow them, so it’s no longer second rate scouts watching the former nobodys
It is my opinion that one and dones hurt the college game. If a guy is competing for a contract, is he going to be willing to play team basketball? Mayo, Bayless, Beasley and the others, a bunch of highlight reels only. Think about it, what if Mayo played at UCLA? Would he destroy CBH system? K-Love doesn’t count because he’s a different guy. It would have been fun to watch, but sad at the end with losing early.

Anyway, now that some more commentary that was spread out over BN has been consolidated here, hopefully this generates some interest in this whole possible one-and-done Europe alternative.

by norcald503 on Jun 26, 2008 4:51 PM PDT up 0 recs

He should know whether he qualified by now

by SuperBruinMan on Jun 27, 2008 3:29 AM PDT 0 recs

I believe Rye mentioned...

...that he wouldn’t find out until some point in mid-July.

by norcald503 on Jun 27, 2008 1:12 PM PDT up 0 recs

July 5

by ryebreadraz on Jun 27, 2008 1:46 PM PDT up 0 recs

He Is Not A Student

Period. He doesn’t belong taking up space at a four-year Pac-10 school. He should go play basketball in Europe. That makes way more sense.

Love My Bruins

by Bruingirl83 on Jun 27, 2008 9:52 AM PDT 0 recs

Actually, It Makes a lot of sense

for a lot of one and dones.

As great as our experience with KL was, I’m still not sold on the idea of using a space in a university to play the role of a farm league for the NBA.

I’m not a fan of the one and done, hope the rules change in the next NBA/Player negotiations (since the NCAA would never have the stones to set its own path), and see a farm league, be it here or in Europe, as a great alternative to what we have now.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Jun 27, 2008 4:29 PM PDT up 0 recs

Agreed

It makes sense for someone like Jennings or any other 1-and-done. They start earning a nice check early on, and they get to make basketball their life. There are no restrictions on practice and coaching as there are in the NCAA, so the player would have a lot more instruction, and given the team-oriented nature of European basketball, the player would probably better learn how to be part of a unit and work with his teammates than he would if he attend somewhere like Arizona. Plus, the player doesn’t take a scholarship away from someone who actually wants to attend college for a while.

by McNown to Farmer on Jun 28, 2008 9:16 AM PDT up 0 recs

Does it really though?

From a marketing standpoint, I think it’s absolutely terrible for a one-and-done kid like Mayo who is interested in making it to the NBA ASAP, getting a big shoe contract, and marketing his “brand.”

Mayo is the prototype for these guys. He came to U$C, not for Tim Floyd’s “coaching” or U$C’s “tradition” (unless he wanted to be like other trOjans of the past and be one-and-done in the tourney). He came to U$C because it’s in the second largest media market in the country. The boy is no fool. Being in LA would get him more exposure than playing at WVU, Wisconsin, Indiana, etc. We all know UCLA was not an option since he would never buy into CBH’s team defense concept (although it worked out very nice for RW) and NYC (the largest media market) doesn’t have a major program in a power conference (don’t let the folks at St. John’s try to say otherwise).

So, if you know you’re going one-and-done and you want to make sure you have the largest marketing base possible, is running off and playing for FC Barcelona’s basketball team for a year the smartest marketing move? I don’t think it is. These guys know that staying Stateside gets them national exposure on the World Wide Hype Leader, it builds a base of support in a part of the country that they will probably not play in professionally (i.e. Mayo can sell his shoes to his “fans” in LA and in Memphis), and I think makes you more likely to secure one of those sweet deals from Nike.

And besides, we all know the NCAA is about as competent as the love-child of Mr. Magoo and Inspector Clouseau. So, with this in mind, there’s no real monetary incentive to go to Europe when you can still get money on the side and play college ball (see OJ2, C-Webb, etc.).

I mean, OJ2 flaunted the NCAA rules, got a free flat screen, Reggie had a new car, and the NCAA looks the other way. The NCAA didn’t catch up to C-Webb until nearly a decade after he left college, and by then, what could they do to him? Not a damn thing.

I think a lot of people here are substituting what they would like to see happen (get these fake “students” out of the college game) for what will likely happen. I just don’t see the financial motivation when there are more lucrative marketing opportunities to be had by staying in college for a year coupled with under-the-table benefits that I’m sure a lot of guys are getting on the side.

by norcald503 on Jun 28, 2008 1:01 PM PDT up 0 recs

I'm not sure, Norcald

How much would OJ2 have made or might Jennings make in Europe? $500K? $1M. (I truly have no idea.) Whatever it is, it’s likely to be more than they’re paid in the US (except for OJ2, of course.) They can hire agents or publicists or whatever to keep their names out and about from Europe. And if enough Kobes go there, the league might get some air time here (as in NFL Europe.)

I think getting a large amount of bucks a year early would be tough to walk away from.

by Fox 71 on Jun 29, 2008 11:56 AM PDT up 0 recs

I think another consideration...

...is that for as great as these one-and-done types are coming out of high school, and as much promise as they show, no one has any idea of how good they’re actually going to be until they actually make it to the NBA and show us something.

These kids come out of high school and, given how many Division I basketball programs out there (meaning that the pool of athletes to fill all these rosters has to be larger, and as such, the quality of the talent, on average, is not very high, relative to D-IA football), some of these one-and-done types come to college and are able to showcase their game and make themselves look a lot better than they really are.

Look at Greg Oden. We have no idea if he’ll be worth a crap or not. He’s so fragile, he may wash out of the NBA in a few years. But he sure looked good beating up on soft-ass Big Ten big men, didn’t he?

Or how about Spencer Hawes? He looked like a decent big man (until he had to deal with our Ben Ball defense). But he hasn’t showed me much of anything in Sac.

And then there’s Laker trade fodder Javaris Crittenton. He looked pretty good as a freshman PG for G-Tech. Good enough for the Lakers to take him in the first round. He hasn’t been very impressive.

I think both guys will turn out to be decent role players in the NBA. But I don’t think any of them were really deserving of being paid the big money we normally associate with one-and-done players.

All three of those guys could have got to Europe, where the competition is not just different, but, arguably, stiffer than in the NCAA. These are pro athletes, a lot of whom are either rising European stars on a rest stop to the NBA or former NCAA guys who didn’t make it here (but who, as a result, have NCAA experience and were considered decent NCAA players; guys like Ced Bozeman and Dijon Thompson). I think there’s a big difference between banging against experienced European veterans who have been around and playing ball with a bunch of 18-22 year old kids.

Playing against pros in Europe for maybe $500K or an even $1M runs the risk of being exposed as not living up to their high school hype. I think Jennings would drop at least 5 or 6 spots on the 2009 draft board if he ends up in Europe rather than the NCAA, in part because when people see film of him there, they won’t see the kind of flashy game used in the NCAA to showcase individual talent.

As for agents, set aside the fact it costs a lot for good publicity (which reduces the economic incentive of Europe significantly). As good as some top-dollar agents and publicists are, I don’t think it can replace the exposure NCAA players receive, especially come tournament time. Yes, we all pay attention because we love our Ben Ball warriors. But a lot of people in this country don’t pay attention until Madness starts and it’s time to get in the office pool. Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley, for as good as they were, weren’t much better in the tourney than he was during the regular season. But Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley, the brands, were born this March.

Hell, that even applies to KL. I don’t have any friends from home who went to UCLA. But they all watch March Madness, every March, without fail. To these guys, Kevin Love, the brand, was born that March. Not a one knew of him before the tournament. But come tournament time, they all knew his name.

Look at Danilo Gallinari. Kid was one of the best players in Italy. I mean, hands down, just owned the Italian league. And how many people knew who he was before the draft excitement got going? Not a lot of us. And yes, he still got drafted high and he’ll make a damn good salary with the Knicks.

Who would have made New Yorkers go out and buy brand new jerseys, shoes, and other assorted crap? OJ2 or Gallinari? We all heard the boos when they announced that kid’s name. Had an OJ2 been taken by New York, I guarantee by the next day, there’d be New Yorkers with Knicks jerseys with Mayo on the back (just like the day after the NFL Draft, New Orleanians had Bush Saints jerseys, complete with the his college number 5).

Speaking of New York, their own paper seems to agree:

If Danilo Gallinari had an N.C.A.A. pedigree, an endorsement from Dick Vitale and a less-exotic name, he might have been greeted with roses instead of raspberries when the Knicks made him the sixth pick of the N.B.A. draft.

Although I can’t say for sure, I’m pretty sure there aren’t a lot of New Yorkers with Gallinari gear. And I doubt the Knicks are going to build an ad campaign around this kid for the upcoming season. But I bet good money we’re going to see Chicago build one around Rose, Miami will build one around their young core of D-Wade and Beasley, and Memphis will build one around OJ2.

Who’s going to sell more shoes? OJ2, the brand, or Gallinari, the brand? Who’s more likely to land the multi-million dollar Nike shoe contract in the next two years? Look at Manu and Dirk. They’re both big-name players. Hell, Dirk was the MVP. But do you associate either guy with high-profile big-money shoe deals? Nike, Adidas, and the rest have not built major marketing campaigns around either guy, despite the fact they get it done.

Instead, it’s guys who benefited from the World Wide Hype Machine that have the big money endorsement deals: LeBron. Kobe. KG.

I think when you consider the possible risks of playing in Europe (as in the possibility of being exposed against superior competition), with the relatively low economic incentive (it’s definitely nowhere close to NBA money, and in light of the fact these guys can skirt the rules for a year in the NCAA, like OJ2 and Reggie), compared to the possible long-term pay-off of staying within the NBA-NCAA hype structure, Europe isn’t that attractive anymore.

Like I said before, if this was a great way to go, guys who weren’t quite good enough for the NBA before the one-year rule would have foregone college and went to Europe for a year or two, get paid, then come to the league. I think the fact that when guys were allowed to jump straight to the NBA that relatively few did, and hardly any, if any, went to Europe first. The great majority went to the NCAA b/c of the possible exposure it gets you. I mean, this is how a lot of coaches sell their program.

Again, like I said below, I think this is more of a desperation move on Jennings’ part than the start of a new trend. If that boy gets the score he needs to play for Viagra Lute, there’s no way he’s going to Europe over Tucson.

by norcald503 on Jun 29, 2008 11:20 PM PDT up 0 recs

You make a good argument for your position

I have only one thing to add which I don’t think you factored in, and that is ego. Each of these guys thinks they can succeed in any league. By the time they’re 18, they have been the dominant player in every league they’ve been in for 10 years, and they are accustomed to success. If they want to continue the run of getting paid, and if the ncaa starts actually enforcing the rules such that there will be a reduction in the stream of cash while they’re in college, they still might bolt for greener (as in greenbacks) pastures.

And this long debate was presented compliments of the gonadless ncaa and its master, the NBA. Once more, to keep things in perspective, I watched zero minutes of pro basketball last season, or the season before, or the season before, etc. My interest here is solely the effect these stupid rules and artificial barriers to entry into the NBA are having on my alma mater.

by Fox 71 on Jun 30, 2008 4:01 AM PDT up 0 recs

Missing the point??

You still have to qualify to get into college to play and it os still up in the air if he will get a proper score to be able to play at Arizona. If he wants/needs money, Europe may be a temporary solution for a year.

I think that is why he is considering going overseas.

by artybruin on Jun 28, 2008 5:22 PM PDT 0 recs

I completely agree with you

That’s what I said earlier:

As for Jennings running off to Europe, I think that’s more of a desperation move on his part if he can’t get academically eligible to play for Lute this season.

I 100% agree with what you’re saying. But to elaborate on my thinking on it, I think a lot of people are making a big deal about this because Jennings is the first high-profile recruit to seriously contemplate going to Europe for being a flunky Bear in mind the standard for getting into some schools is laughably pathetic (as in even Duh-von can get into college with enough tries), so it’s no surprise no one has given this serious thought.

Most guys, even ones as dumb as Duh-von, have found their way into a “university” with rather flexible academic standards (read: Arizona State, Florida State, U$C).

What sets apart Jennings from other one-and-done guys isn’t that he is more motivated by earning a living than these other guys are. He’s just dumber than the rest and may not even get into that “university” in Tucson. Like I said, I totally agree with you: this is a desperation move, not a budding new trend.

by norcald503 on Jun 28, 2008 6:34 PM PDT up 0 recs

One and Done Guys Need To Be Gone...

The 10 or so one and done guys are too small of a group to ruin college basketball, but they’re not helping. The argument that they are better off in the US is fine, but think about these two scenarios. First, we lose to Memphis this year with Rose and then next year to xyz university with AB and YZ and so on over the years. They’re all one and done guys. Bruin fans will be climbing the walls demanding new rules. Second, CBH recruits a couple of one and dones and they spend the whole time showcasing themselves and not playing team basketball. We lose to the Gonzangas of the world with their 4 year guys. The Bruin fans are again pissed.

I hope Jennings goes and is successful paving the way for all one and dones. These guys are not playing for their schools, but for the $$$. I don’t want to get beat by them or have them compromise CBH’s style of play. What’s better, a NC with Lee, Anderson, Lane, Reeves, Roll and Albert that leads to say 6 straight Final Fours, or a NC with guys like Sidney, Stephenson and whoever else that all leave after one year? There needs to be a place for kids that only want to play and make money before the NBA, where they can shoot their butts off, play no defense and do highlight reel dunks all night long. Today it’s the Euro League. Good bye.

Go Bruins!!!

by whittier71 on Jun 30, 2008 5:36 PM PDT 0 recs