If you had a POY vote

[propoke]

Meh, this is not real argument. We have no idea what opposing coaches are actually saying. They ALWAYS say nice things about the other players. Chances are they'll talk about Buddy like he's a POY candidate for most of the year. He's not.

Smart is a very good player and you could argue that he is the most well-rounded player in the Big 12. Not many can stuff a state sheet the way he does. But he stuffs EVERY stat -- turnovers, shot attempts, silly fouls in addition to all the good stuff too.

He COULD be the player of the year, but he's still immature on the court. He's got to learn which shots to take, which passes to make, and when to step back and just defend rather than going for the steal.

He does have some growing to do as a player. The coaches think highly enough of him to vote him POY last year. Scouts think highly enough to want to draft him in the top 5 last year. His coaches during international play have raved over his play. He may not win Big 12 POY this year, but I wouldn't bet against him.

 

[skyvue]

He does have some growing to do as a player. The coaches think highly enough of him to vote him POY last year. Scouts think highly enough to want to draft him in the top 5 last year. His coaches during international play have raved over his play. He may not win Big 12 POY this year, but I wouldn't bet against him.

You left out the officials, who thought enough of him to blow the whistle every time he flopped and whenever an opposing defender had the temerity, the unmitigated gall, to touch him.

Look, he might play well enough to deserve player of the year honors this season (conference, not national -- I'll believe that when I see it), but last season? As a freshman with good but hardly great stats? Not a chance. That was an award built on hype.

 

[garyeb2]

He does have some growing to do as a player. The coaches think highly enough of him to vote him POY last year. Scouts think highly enough to want to draft him in the top 5 last year. His coaches during international play have raved over his play. He may not win Big 12 POY this year, but I wouldn't bet against him.

Greatness is a rare commodity in any field. It is easy to spot. You aggies may think you have enough evidence to predict it for Smart. But, you haven't seen it yet.

 

[propoke]

You left out the officials, who thought enough of him to blow the whistle every time he flopped and whenever an opposing defender had the temerity, the unmitigated gall, to touch him.

Look, he might play well enough to deserve player of the year honors this season (conference, not national -- I'll believe that when I see it), but last season? As a freshman with good but hardly great stats? Not a chance. That was an award built on hype.

So your saying coaches voted a player POY strictly on hype? I have an honest question. How many times did you see the top 3 or 4 players in the conference in person? Every coach and most of the media members in the league watched those players play at least 2 times and they still voted Smart POY.

 

[propoke]

Greatness is a rare commodity in any field. It is easy to spot. You aggies may think you have enough evidence to predict it for Smart. But, you haven't seen it yet.

I'm not saying Smart is going to be an all time great in the NBA. But he is the returning Big 12 POY and the best returning college basketball player in the country. Some of the incoming freshmen may be better, but we will see.

 

[snydrosooner]

So your saying coaches voted a player POY strictly on hype? I have an honest question. How many times did you see the top 3 or 4 players in the conference in person? Every coach and most of the media members in the league watched those players play at least 2 times and they still voted Smart POY.

I would not say he didn't earn it last year. But I will say competition was down last year for big 12 player of the year. No one seemed to want to win in it and smart was as good as choice as anyone.

But lets be realistic with the players of the year. didn't TJ Ford win National player of the year without winning Big 12 player of the year? So hype does matter and smart did get alot of hype last year. Alot was deservced, some was not.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

Would you vote for this player for national POY if the selection was held today?

Through three games he's averaging 13.6 ppg, 4 rebounds, 4 steals and a little over 3 assists per game. On the somewhat negative side, he turns the ball over at a 3 per game clip and only shoots 40% from the field (31% from three).

If you had a POY vote, would you use it on this player?

Nope. I'd give it to the player averaging 18.3 ppg, 5.0 rebounds, 2 steals, 1.5 ass. :OUbball-logo:

 

[BCSooners]

I'd say 2 time all american Mcdermott is the best returning college player if you are going just off college game.

 

[propoke]

I would not say he didn't earn it last year. But I will say competition was down last year for big 12 player of the year. No one seemed to want to win in it and smart was as good as choice as anyone.

But lets be realistic with the players of the year. didn't TJ Ford win National player of the year without winning Big 12 player of the year? So hype does matter and smart did get alot of hype last year. Alot was deservced, some was not.

The Big 12 was definitely down last year. I will also agree that hype does affect National POY awards. A lot of the people voting on the national awards have never seen some of the players play in person. I do put more validity in the coaches’ conference POY award. Those guys have to figure out how to stop players 2 times a year. I think they are a better judge of POY than anyone.

 

[propoke]

I'd say 2 time all american Mcdermott is the best returning college player if you are going just off college game.

I thought about McDermott, but I gave the edge to Smart because of where he was projected to be drafted. I can't really argue with anyone who wants to put McDermott ahead of Smart at this point though.

 

[skyvue]

So your saying coaches voted a player POY strictly on hype? I have an honest question. How many times did you see the top 3 or 4 players in the conference in person? Every coach and most of the media members in the league watched those players play at least 2 times and they still voted Smart POY.

I didn't see any of them in person. I live in NYC. So I guess I don't get to have an opinion, my bad.

I'll say it again: Blake Griffin's freshman season stacked up very favorably against Smart's, but he wasn't even in the conversation for conference POY that year.

The reason: hype.

Look, my antipathy toward Smart didn't spring up overnight like a mushroom, and it isn't based on the fact that he's an aggie (I don't cheer for the aggies, but I have no problem giving credit where it's due to individual players). It's that the hype over Smart was like nothing I'd ever seen for a non-KU player in the Big 12. From the opening tip of the season, he was coddled by the officials and slobbered over by the media, neither of which was (yet) deserved.

Aggie fans love that, of course, and are fully prepared to believe that it is all well-deserved. But by the end of the season, even the TV commentators (who had been part of the problem) were commenting on -- and even laughing about -- the breaks he was getting from the officials.

Smart may blow up this season, and he could go on to be huge in the NBA; if so, good for him. I've got nothing against him personally; he seems to be a quality young man.

But none of that changes the fact that he was vastly overhyped last season.

 

[propoke]

I didn't see any of them in person. I live in NYC. So I guess I don't get to have an opinion, my bad.

I'll say it again: Blake Griffin's freshman season stacked up very favorably against Smart's, but he wasn't even in the conversation for conference POY that year.

The reason: hype.

Look, my antipathy toward Smart didn't spring up overnight like a mushroom, and it isn't based on the fact that he's an aggie (I don't cheer for the aggies, but I have no problem giving credit where it's due to individual players). It's that the hype over Smart was like nothing I'd ever seen for a non-KU player in the Big 12. From the opening tip of the season, he was coddled by the officials and slobbered over by the media, neither of which was (yet) deserved.

Aggie fans love that, of course, and are fully prepared to believe that it is all well-deserved. But by the end of the season, even the TV commentators (who had been part of the problem) were commenting on -- and even laughing about -- the breaks he was getting from the officials.

Smart may blow up this season, and he could go on to be huge in the NBA; if so, good for him. I've got nothing against him personally; he seems to be a quality young man.

But none of that changes the fact that he was vastly overhyped last season.

The main problem I have with what you continue to type is Smart didn't deserve the POY award last year. Name me a player in the Big 12 last year that deserved it more than Smart? I will concede to the coaches’ opinion, they probably know more about the players than me and you put together.

 

[AdaSooner]

The Big 12 was definitely down last year. I will also agree that hype does affect National POY awards. A lot of the people voting on the national awards have never seen some of the players play in person. I do put more validity in the coaches’ conference POY award. Those guys have to figure out how to stop players 2 times a year. I think they are a better judge of POY than anyone.

I agree that conference POY is a more accurate measurement of how the candidates performed throughout the season. Having said that, the comments I made to start this thread were centered around the media hype, both statewide and nationally, to give the National POY award to Marcus before the season got underway. And, despite the subpar numbers for a player of his caliber so far, the hype continues even now. That's especially true of the Oklahoman and ESPN reporters.

I was simply pointing out that, through three games, he has not lived up to the billing. That doesn't mean he won't catch fire and scorch the nets with his shooting, as well as stop turning the ball over so much. In fact, I said later that I may owe Coach Kruger an apology if Marcus has back to back career games when OSU plays OU. I said that in gest. I doubt if Marcus cares or even reads what I have to say.

I recognize (even admire) his talent, athleticism and competitiveness. But if he or anyone else expects him to win the POY award, conference or national, his performance will have to improve. That's all I'm saying, nothing more.

 

[propoke]

I agree that conference POY is a more accurate measurement of how the candidates performed throughout the season. Having said that, the comments I made to start this thread were centered around the media hype, both statewide and nationally, to give the National POY award to Marcus before the season got underway. And, despite the subpar numbers for a player of his caliber so far, the hype continues even now. That's especially true of the Oklahoman and ESPN reporters.

I was simply pointing out that, through three games, he has not lived up to the billing. That doesn't mean he won't catch fire and scorch the nets with his shooting, as well as stop turning the ball over so much. In fact, I said later that I may owe Coach Kruger an apology if Marcus has back to back career games when OSU plays OU. I said that in gest. I doubt if Marcus cares or even reads what I have to say.

I recognize (even admire) his talent, athleticism and competitiveness. But if he or anyone else expects him to win the POY award, conference or national, his performance will have to improve. That's all I'm saying, nothing more.

I got what your saying. Smart doesn't put up eye popping numbers, but as has been stated 3 games isn't a good sample size to judge from. Lets see how he performs against teams like Memphis and KU. I think he will be battling it out with Wiggens for Conference POY and maybe National POY. All that said, I could care less about POY. I want a deep run in the tourney.

 

[GIA Stout]

Bob Huggins said he's the best guard he's coached against since Jason Kidd but what would he know? He probably hasn't seen much in his 20 years since Kidd was at Cal and all that time in the Big East. You all need to get used to hearing his name, it ain't goin' away.

http://m.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/osu/mensbasketball/big-coaches-laud-osu-s-marcus-smart/article_be3eeebe-a06d-5db4-a0c0-2a753fb6446c.html?mode=jqm

 

[AdaSooner]

I got what your saying. Smart doesn't put up eye popping numbers, but as has been stated 3 games isn't a good sample size to judge from. Lets see how he performs against teams like Memphis and KU. I think he will be battling it out with Wiggens for Conference POY and maybe National POY. All that said, I could care less about POY. I want a deep run in the tourney.

Fair enough. We won't have too long to wait for Memphis. Should be a good game.

As for Wiggins and Smart battling it out for NPOY honors. I can think of another player or two who might have something to say about that. If the selection was held today, Jabari Parker would get my vote. He's having a heck of a year for a freshman. Julius Randle is pretty good, too. There may be others that don't come immediately to mind.

If Marcus wins the award, it will be because he has earned it. And, as Skyvue said, the media hype doesn't hurt either.

 

[skyvue]

The main problem I have with what you continue to type is Smart didn't deserve the POY award last year. Name me a player in the Big 12 last year that deserved it more than Smart? I will concede to the coaches’ opinion, they probably know more about the players than me and you put together.

All other things being equal, I would give such an award to an upper classman over a freshman every time, unless the freshman's accomplishments (individual and team) were at such a high level that they simply couldn't be overlooked.

Smart's were not.

Again, BG wasn't even in the conversation for POY, though he was arguably as deserving as Smart. But in his freshman season, BG didn't receive nearly the hype that Smart did.

I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I posted them before: One could have made an argument for Osby as POY. I would also have gone with the KU post player (whose name eludes my feeble brain at the moment) over Smart. Smart was not remotely so impressive that he deserved to be moved to the head of the pack as a freshman over those two guys.

 

[propoke]

Fair enough. We won't have too long to wait for Memphis. Should be a good game.

As for Wiggins and Smart battling it out for NPOY honors. I can think of another player or two who might have something to say about that. If the selection was held today, Jabari Parker would get my vote. He's having a heck of a year for a freshman. Julius Randle is pretty good, too. There may be others that don't come immediately to mind.

If Marcus wins the award, it will be because he has earned it. And, as Skyvue said, the media hype doesn't hurt either.

There are some really good freshmen this year. It is crazy to think that the 3 best players in the country might be freshmen.

 

[propoke]

All other things being equal, I would give such an award to an upper classman over a freshman every time, unless the freshman's accomplishments (individual and team) were at such a high level that they simply couldn't be overlooked.

Smart's were not.

Again, BG wasn't even in the conversation for POY, though he was arguably as deserving as Smart. But in his freshman season, BG didn't receive nearly the hype that Smart did.

I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I posted them before: One could have made an argument for Osby as POY. I would also have gone with the KU post player (whose name eludes my feeble brain at the moment) over Smart. Smart was not remotely so impressive that he deserved to be moved to the head of the pack as a freshman over those two guys.

The coaches who game plan for these guys thought Smart was better than Osby and Withey.

 

[campbest]

Again, BG wasn't even in the conversation for POY, though he was arguably as deserving as Smart. But in his freshman season, BG didn't receive nearly the hype that Smart did.

BG had a great freshman year, but Michael Beasley was the best player in the conference hands down.

No one can compare year to year awards, talents goes up and down. Did I think Smart was the best player last year? No, but I don't have a problem with him winning it since no one clearly was ahead of the other. Osby wasn't going to win the award because of where OU finished...like it or not, but wins factor into the equation. Always have, always will...again, unless someone really separates from the pack.