Is Trae one-and-done?

oh yeah. I wasn't talking about Trae in particular. The fact he chose Norman over UK or KU speaks a lot to his character. It just saddens me that when this is discussed it is just assumed to be completely a money decision. Little value is placed on the actual experience itself. I do admire Baker Mayfield in that regard - although his decision was quite a bit different. I do think Mayfield placed importance on the experience.
 
If I were a betting man I would say his dream is to play in the NBA. Why risk a bad injury and delay or end that dream? I don't know for sure what he thinks or want, but if I were telling him I would say leave after this year if the money was there and if he's able to play at that level.
 
If he puts up late 20s-30s PPG average we'll be lucky to see him stay another year.
 
It's too early in the season to speculate where he would be picked in the 2018 draft, but we'll have a better idea in two months. As much as I would love for him to stay, it's a tough sell if he's expected to be a lottery pick.

It's not exactly apple-apples comparison, but this point is still valid. OU has had two players in the past who were GUARANTEED to be 1st round picks, but chose to stay another year and did not get picked in Round One - Ryan Minor and Willie Warren. Conversely, we had a guaranteed 1st round pick who chose to stay and wound up getting picked much higher since he stayed a second year - Blake Griffin.

Ada made a good point about Trae's background (similar to Blake's), and that may very well play into making a decision like Blake did...but I'm not holding my breath.
 
Was Juwan Evans a first round pick two years ago when he went off on us for 40+?
 
coolm said:
I find it sad that all anyone cares about is the money. Life isn't just all about money.
Click to expand...

You live in the United States of America, right? We live our lives in the constant pursuit of money.
 
He’s not a lotto pic this season no matter what his scoring average is this season.

Stephen Curry ( since everyone wants to compare them ) is taller/longer and didn’t leave until his junior year.

I think young stays for two years and even then depending on draft may not be a lotto pic .
 
The original "everyone's 1st priority is money" was a facile statement and doesn't have to apply to Trae or any freshman contemplating the jump to the NBA. But each of these freshmen also have to weigh what they would lose if they stay that extra year. Miles Bridges, a surefire lottery pick last year, returned to Michigan St for his sophomore year. I hope it works out for him. But what if he, for example, blows out a knee. That guaranteed contract is gone. That first NBA contract could set one up for life financially. That doesn't make this decision "all about money." It's potentially about financial security for many years, if not the rest of their lives.

The point is, why should anyone begrudge a 19 year old who has the chance to live out his dream and become financially independent doing it choosing to do that versus staying and playing on their college team 1 more year? I'd love for Trae to turn down that opportunity for 1 year to stay at OU another but if he doesn't, I wish him all the best.
 
Even staying one year, Trae will provide tons of publicity for OU.

I can't fault him for leaving, if he does.
 
sooner 1234 said:
He’s not a lotto pic this season no matter what his scoring average is this season.

Stephen Curry ( since everyone wants to compare them ) is taller/longer and didn’t leave until his junior year.

I think young stays for two years and even then depending on draft may not be a lotto pic .
Click to expand...

Curry wasn’t this good as a freshman.
 
chuckb said:
The original "everyone's 1st priority is money" was a facile statement ...
Click to expand...

no offense chuck but you entire diatribe was simply a restatement of why the money is top priority. I understand the pragmatic aspects of such a decision and I wouldnt begrudge him for deciding as such. You miss the point entirely.

There is a risk no matter what he does. He could be a bust, he could get injured, he could hate playing as a pro. He could also fall into a bad situation with a crap team.

Right now he's a king and there is much less stress playing the GAME of basketball before moving on to the JOB of basketball. There's a lot to be enjoyed before he moves on to the grind and those are experiences he will never have a chance to enjoy again no matter how successful he is as a pro. Plus there is a lot of personal growth he can make before worrying only about professional growth. And he might actually like going to school and having time off away from the game 24/7.

It's just a thought and certainly not a superficial one. I wont think ill of him for going pro and I will enjoy his time here no matter what. I am merely saddened that people so minimize the advantages to be gained from experiencing youth when you're a youth. You dont ever get that back no matter how big a contract you sign.
 
coolm said:
no offense chuck but you entire diatribe was simply a restatement of why the money is top priority. I understand the pragmatic aspects of such a decision and I wouldnt begrudge him for deciding as such. You miss the point entirely.
Click to expand...

1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diatribe

2. Your point was "all anyone cares about is money," implying that TY would go pro b/c he's just like everyone else. It was a facile statement that implies greed when it's perfectly rational for anyone to take the opportunity to set themselves up for life financially. To you, maybe he's being greedy by going pro after 1 year. It's not, to me. Staying 1 more year in college could be a huge risk to someone like him. Hopefully he'll decide the payoff is worth it but if not, that's not greed and we shouldn't treat him as though he's greedy if he does it. But that won't stop some of you from doing it.
 
I would think a lot would depend on who else is coming out and who need a PG. He is obviously good and if a lotto pick I would think he would go. Once we see who might else be in the draft here and from Europe I think we will have a lot better idea of how things will pan out. He may get in Big12 play and scoring get a lot harder since teams will have had longer to look at his game and his stock may slow its rise. Too many variables now to really know. I have said before when this comes up, "how I wish I only had the stress/worries of when I was in college vs now". It is a job once you get drafted and everyone in the world expecting things from you, maybe he puts that off for a year regardless. It is not like he is poor, not rich but not poor either.
 
JBaker said:
Curry wasn’t this good as a freshman.
Click to expand...

He averaged almost 22 points a game as a freshman ....he was a stud from Day 1

He also set the NCAA record for freshman on 122 3 pointers made
 
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