Just a thought I had.

[FredsSlacks]

arguably the 2 best players in the miles era both left Nebraska before their senior year because they thought it was the best decision for their NBA careers.

 

neither player got drafted.

 

I'm willing to bet those 2 guys stay at Nebraska 1 more year if they had to do it over again.

Edited June 26, 2017 by TimSmiles

[khoock]

Doubt it. Terran is making hundreds of thousands of dollars and already had his degree.

[FredsSlacks]

21 minutes ago, khoock said:

Doubt it. Terran is making hundreds of thousands of dollars and already had his degree.

that's great, but still peanuts compared to nba money. even a minimum deal is a million dollars per year now.

Edited June 26, 2017 by TimSmiles

[khoock]

9 minutes ago, TimSmiles said:

that's great, but still peanuts compared to nba money. even a minimum deal is a million dollars per year now.

Even if he had stayed another year, he would most likely be in the same situation. The only difference is he wouldve lost a years worth of salary playing for free.

[The Polish Rifle]

1 hour ago, TimSmiles said:

arguably the 2 best players in the miles era both left Nebraska before their senior year because they thought it was the best decision for their NBA careers.

 

neither player got drafted.

 

I'm willing to bet those 2 guys stay at Nebraska 1 more year if they had to do it over again.

White and Petteway? Both those guys ceilings were an NBA summer league team regardless if they stayed or went. Guys that are 23/24 years old just don't get drafted unless they are a 1st team All-American type talent. White would have been in the same boat regardless and Petteway got an extra year of salary overseas. Don't think either of them are kicking themselves over their decisions, as neither would have been drafted had they stayed.

[HuskerFever]

6 hours ago, khoock said:

Doubt it. Terran is making hundreds of thousands of dollars and already had his degree.

 

And of course Pitchford may or may not have a college-stipend-level profit from his "deals on wheels" mobile app.

[Norm Peterson]

8 hours ago, The Polish Rifle said:

White and Petteway? Both those guys ceilings were an NBA summer league team regardless if they stayed or went. Guys that are 23/24 years old just don't get drafted unless they are a 1st team All-American type talent. White would have been in the same boat regardless and Petteway got an extra year of salary overseas. Don't think either of them are kicking themselves over their decisions, as neither would have been drafted had they stayed.

 

I bet White second-guesses his decision every day. 

[hhcmatt]

37 minutes ago, Norm Peterson said:

I bet White second-guesses his decision every day. 

 

He'll end up regretting the transfer to Syracuse more than just transferring away from Nebraska; hiding his flaws via zone was a particularly poor miscalculation of how to work one's way up into the draft.

[MitchMcGaryMunchies]

I don't think that Petteway's draft stock was going to be improved by playing his senior year at Nebraska.  We may have been able to make it back to the tournament, but TP's scoring/rebounding numbers would've certainly dropped with the addition of White.  Plus, a 23 year-old senior just isn't a coveted asset in the NBA draft.

 

Look at what happened to Frank Mason III in this year's draft.  He played for a basketball blue blood and won nearly every individual award possible including the Naismith, Wooden, NABC, AP, and SN player of the year.  And he still fell into the 2nd round of the draft.  I understand he is undersized to play at the next level, but this does illustrate NBA front office prejudice towards older players.  Same thing goes for Melo Trimble.  So what would Petteway have had to accomplish in order to get drafted?  If his scoring dropped by 4 ppg and we made the tournament again, do you think that gets him into the late 2nd round?

 

I obviously can't speak for the man himself, but I think that Petteway was also in need of a change of scenery after his mother's cancer diagnosis and untimely passing.  In addition to the emotional burden, there could have been financial implications, too.  For that reason, I think that Petteway made the correct decision to leave the NBDL/G-League and go overseas to play, too.  If you have a very lucrative career with an equally short half-life, you'd be crazy not to maximize your earnings in the shortest period of time possible.

 

Final thoughts:  I don't know if anyone on this forum is as big of an NBA nerd as I am (doubtful) but if you have followed the CBA since the 2011 changes then you know that the salaries of NBA first round draft picks are set as a percentage of the team salary cap.  This rule change was made to protect teams against draft busts (Greg Oden, I'm looking at you).  If you get drafted in the first round you end up on a rookie deal, whereas second rounders are only required to get a tender (non-guaranteed) offer for a single season, at league minimum.  There are many 2nd round picks that have accepted that 1-year tender offer, outplayed their salary, became a free agent, then signed more lucrative multi-year deals with a new team.  This can end up earning the player more money in the long run as they aren't tied to the lower-paying rookie deal for several seasons.

[AuroranHusker]

4 hours ago, hhcdimes said:

 

He'll end up regretting the transfer to Syracuse more than just transferring away from Nebraska; hiding his flaws via zone was a particularly poor miscalculation of how to work one's way up into the draft.

 

Wonder how AW-II views it all now.... as father pushed son to the 'Cuse.

[Norm Peterson]

1 hour ago, AuroranHusker said:

 

Wonder how AW-II views it all now.... as father pushed son to the 'Cuse.

 

As much as AW III agonized over nearly every decision he made and waited until the last minute to pull the trigger, he just strikes me as the kind of guy who is going to continue to doubt himself after the fact as well.  He's not the kind of guy who is decisive, who makes his decision and moves forward without looking back.  He's the kind of guy who suffers paralysis by analysis.  He's not going to stop debating the decision after he makes it.  He's going to continue to obsess about it especially if things don't turn out the way he'd hoped. 

 

My thought is he'll be second-guessing his decision to transfer to Syracuse for a long, long time.

 

While some above in this thread might doubt that he was worthy of being drafted, neither he nor his father doubted it.  So, there must be some other reason than simply "I just wasn't good enough."  Obviously, switching schools to Syracuse wasn't the answer.  Should he have gone to Michigan State?  Naw, might not have played as big a role there.  Should he have stayed at NU?  Well, the Huskers died down the stretch last year, but there were portions of the season where they played like a tourney team, beat some tourney teams, and the big thing they needed was a perimeter shooter.  Hey, do you know any players who could have filled that role for them?  Been that spotlighted perimeter shooter?

 

There are many who say NU would have been a tourney team if he'd stayed.  Even people outside the fanbase.  He knows this.  Staying at Nebraska would have allowed him to play man-to-man in a situation where his lack of lateral quickness wouldn't have been exposed.  Staying at Nebraska would have given him the chance to prove to the scouts that he was good enough to elevate a team and take them to a higher level.  Staying at Nebraska would have shown scouts that he was up for a challenge rather than someone who shrinks away from it or tries to find the easy way out.

 

If any of you think these thoughts haven't been playing over and over in his mind since draft day, then I think you're naïve.  I bet it eats at him.  A lot.

[AuroranHusker]

AW-III could have left Lincoln a legend and a team's leading scorer in leading said team to heights previously unseen. Alas, he took his talents to the un-air-conditioned Carrier Dome. Irony instead of destiny.

[Huskerpapa]

I am not sure I know who this Andy Whitelll is that everyone is talking about???

[Fullbacksympathy]

Anyway, let's get back to Petteway--a guy who left it all on the floor for Nebraska, put the program fearlessly on his back and took us to new heights, and who stayed loyal even when tragedy struck his family.  And Tai--possibly the hardest working and most improved 4-year Husker ever.  

 

I think both have a shot to make a bench in the league because they are athletic and long enough to guard.  Odds are against them, but that's nothing new to either of them, I presume.  

 

No other players on this thread should exist right now.  

[colhusker]

9 hours ago, LK1 said:

Anyway, let's get back to Petteway--a guy who left it all on the floor for Nebraska, put the program fearlessly on his back and took us to new heights, and who stayed loyal even when tragedy struck his family.  And Tai--possibly the hardest working and most improved 4-year Husker ever.  

 

I think both have a shot to make a bench in the league because they are athletic and long enough to guard.  Odds are against them, but that's nothing new to either of them, I presume.  

 

No other players on this thread should exist right now.  

While I agree he put the team on his back and carried it.  As for taking us to new heights, not so much.  You must not have been around when Nee took us to the tournament a few times, ended the same way unfortunately and took us to an NIT title.

[Fullbacksympathy]

1 hour ago, colhusker said:

While I agree he put the team on his back and carried it.  As for taking us to new heights, not so much.  You must not have been around when Nee took us to the tournament a few times, ended the same way unfortunately and took us to an NIT title.

 

I was a kid--family season tickets since 91.  The drought was long enough that it felt like new heights, and it was in a different conference.  I hear you though.  

[colhusker]

32 minutes ago, LK1 said:

 

I was a kid--family season tickets since 91.  The drought was long enough that it felt like new heights, and it was in a different conference.  I hear you though.  

It has been a long drought indeed!  

[Norm Peterson]

13 hours ago, huskercwg said:

I am not sure I know who this Andy Whitelll is that everyone is talking about???

 

He's a tree trimmer from Stockton-On-Tees, UK.  Calls himself a "tree surgeon."  So, clearly, he has a little bit of a complex.

 

http://www.bizuk.biz/Andrew-Whitell-2098820