Jerry Weaver
All American
Posts: 3,729
Joined: Oct 2017
Reputation: 36
I Root For: EMU
Location: Ann Arbor |
RE: Emoni Bates
(05-20-2023 08:24 AM)Bob Wickersham Wrote: (05-19-2023 04:57 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote: (05-18-2023 05:30 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote: (05-18-2023 01:54 PM)RamyEMU Wrote: Luckey, I am not going to subject you to the “wrath of fanboy”. Emoni Bates accepted pay to play, so critique of his performance and value seems fair game (ie, no different than coaches). But it also seems you are going out of your way to root against the guy.
Everyone should be rooting for Emoni. It sometimes felt like some people seemed to relish last season's struggles, just so they could point the finger at Bates and/or Heath. It was a weird dynamic to say the least. The reality is that Emoni has an excellent chance to make the Association! 
Lucky bought courtside season seats for BB games, I sincerely doubt someone would make that large investment to relish in the team's struggles. To propose such is purely ridiculous.
Bob let's share your prior analysis of athlete's professional potential. You said:
Sutton Smith was a future NBA great, while Maxx Crosby was a nothing burger. You certainly missed the mark on that one.
Joey Hauser was going to be in the NBA, THREE years ago! I'm guessing that Joey is going to petition the NCAA for yet another year and play for MSU in his mid-twenties.
Hunter Dickinson is going to be a long-term NBA player. Well, Hunter assessed his potential and decided to find the college that would pay him the most money instead of declaring for the draft because that is his most current lucrative career path in North America.
Please keep your current job Bob, you don't have much future as a pro scout.
Lucky's post about Emoni was 100% spot on. He was over-hyped and not properly developed. That said, the home game vs. Toledo drew a crowd to The Gervin that I had not seen in my ten years as a season ticket holder. He was the SOLE reason for that and our overall increase in attendance last year. Our MBB arena is fabulous, hopefully he exposed that to more potential fans. I thank the kid for doing so.
Lucky and I are not rooting against the kid, I would absolutely love to see someone from Ypsilanti really make a splash. We just, however, are realists. Ramy had previously declared him as a "lottery pick" prior to last season and I think we all know now that was more than a little over-exuberant. In any case, I will celebrate if and when, he gets drafted. It will be great for the program and Ypsilanti.
Jerry, relax. Actually, Hauser could have stayed at MSU another season but opted not to. He'll probably play overseas, but who thought that Duncan Robinson had any shot at making the NBA? Could still happen.
I think Hunter Dickinson will eventually be a decent NBA player. He has size, tenacity, and an improving outside shot. He is taking the easy money for one more season in college, has a chance to win a NCAA championship and play in front of rabid KU fans at Allen Fieldhouse. Who can blame him? You can't teach someone to be 7'1" so I think he will eventually find his way to a nice NBA career.
I was wrong about Sutton Smith, but I enjoyed his efforts as a FB for the Raiders. He kind of reminded me of a poor man's Tom Rathman.
Maxx Crosby is a tough one for me. He has done much, much better than I thought he would for the Raiders BUT...I still don't think he is as good as he is being portrayed. He misses out on a lot of plays and is not a dominant player but a solid one. Kind of has the "great white hope, Everyman" thing going for him in Raiders Nation. Btw, I am a big Raiders fan.
On the plus side, I thought Kevin Walter would have a long career in the NFL. I felt Charlie Batch would be a solid QB in the NFL and I predicted he would be a better pick than Michigan's Brian Griese. Of course, you probably were not privy to some of my earlier observations. At the end of the day, they are just opinions and observations! Mel Kiper gets paid millions to say things like: Ryan Leaf is a future Hall of Famer. No one truly knows how things will turn out.
I do think that Emoni Bates has a unique skill set and everyone should get behind him or at the very least, not try to tear him down, not that I'm saying you did.
I truly hope he gets drafted and has success in the NBA, it would certainly help EMU sports recruiting and hey, who doesn't love having a pro athlete come from the same area they reside in.
He has had a tough road to hoe. He was the best HS freshman basketball player in the country, I think that is undeniable. Unfortunately, that led to unnatural expectations. He is almost always the focal point of opposing defenses because quite frankly, if left open, the kid will absolutely KILL you with his shooting stroke. The Rockets found that out when Emoni came to Toledo.
My opinion only: His primary coach is Elgin Bates, not Penny Hardaway or Stan Heath. That was apparent when you watched his behavior while not in game action. As KPJ witnessed, Elgin spent much time after a game to correct his shooting stroke and it yielded wonderful results. Unfortunately, shooting is not the whole game, although the "old man" might think it is. Memphis had a MUCH better record when Emoni was out with injury, a fact that cannot be denied and EMU had two less wins as well with Emoni season over season.
He will be an extreme project in the NBA. He needs to get in the weight room first, that skinny body while tall does not translate to NBA success with his lack of foot speed. Ball handling, passing, defense and creating space for your three-ball shots can be taught as well. Most importantly, NO NBA coach is going to let Emoni come out of the locker room, seek out his dad and return into the tunnel. That is my take.
I'm rooting for him, make no mistake about it, but I see what I see.
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