It was bad enough

[campbest]

I don't think Clark or Smart are getting "paid".

I would take the money and bolt, but respect the fact Smart is essentially betting on himself that he will still make it. That's confidence I wish some of our players had.

 

[MNsooner]

This move would be easier to understand if players got better under Ford.

 

[WTSooner]

I don't think Clark or Smart are getting "paid".

I would take the money and bolt, but respect the fact Smart is essentially betting on himself that he will still make it. That's confidence I wish some of our players had.

Yep. The kid really wants better college memories than what he had this year, despite winning Big 12 POY. I can't fault him. He isn't the first person to turn down money to come back. Blake was a top 10-15 pick after his freshman year probably, but came back to play another year with his brother. OU fans didn't call him stupid. Money is never the ONLY reason to do something. Regardless of what happens to Smart next year at OSU, I doubt he'll be hurting for money going forward.

 

[Dignon003]

This move would be easier to understand if players got better under Ford.

Byron Eaton, Marshall Moses, Mike Cobbins, Markel Brown, Terrell Harris, Obi Muenelo, Phil Jurick all got noticeably better under Ford...

 

[steverocks35]

Why wouldnt he be hyped? He is really good. Conf POY. All-American. We were super excitied to get BG back for a year. He made the same decision Smart has, turned down Millions of $$$ to live a dream of College. Nothing wrong with that. Im sure he will take out a INS policy to cover anything catastrophic...

Come on, during a losing effort in Bedlam in which he did virtually nothing he still had an individual "highlight" package done by the network shown towards the end of the game. It was nauseating.

 

[steverocks35]

Yep. The kid really wants better college memories than what he had this year, despite winning Big 12 POY. I can't fault him. He isn't the first person to turn down money to come back. Blake was a top 10-15 pick after his freshman year probably, but came back to play another year with his brother. OU fans didn't call him stupid. Money is never the ONLY reason to do something. Regardless of what happens to Smart next year at OSU, I doubt he'll be hurting for money going forward.

Blake Griffin had a chance to (and did) significantly improve his draft position.

 

[WTSooner]

Blake Griffin had a chance to (and did) significantly improve his draft position.

It's not that simple.

The difference between the #1 pick and the #10 pick last year was about $2.5M for that first season. Blake could have EASILY made up that kind of difference on the back end of his career, simply by having another year of playing/earning in the NBA. Another year of retirement benefits. Another year of that money earning interest. Another year of advertisements.

 

[MNsooner]

Byron Eaton, Marshall Moses, Mike Cobbins, Markel Brown, Terrell Harris, Obi Muenelo, Phil Jurick all got noticeably better under Ford...

So maybe 1 roster player per year gets "noticeably better." If were Smart I'd love those odds.

 

[steverocks35]

It's not that simple.

The difference between the #1 pick and the #10 pick last year was about $2.5M for that first season. Blake could have EASILY made up that kind of difference on the back end of his career, simply by having another year of playing/earning in the NBA. Another year of retirement benefits. Another year of that money earning interest. Another year of advertisements.

True, but arent the amount of endorsements for the #1 pick an order of magnitude higher than the 10-15 pick? Not to mention the value of the PR of a year as the best player in college.

 

[steverocks35]

So maybe 1 roster player per year gets "noticeably better." If were Smart I'd love those odds.

If I'm Marcus Smart I shoot about 1,000 jump shots per day until next years draft. That's really his biggest weakness.

 

[BoulderSooner]

Who's going to go ahead of him next year in the draft if he plays great and the Pokes make a deep run in the tourney? How would he not be the #1 or 2 pick?

because he doesn't have a NBA postion and because he can't shoot and because he is only a good not great athlete

 

[BoulderSooner]

Thats how it always looks. Then they make it to college and they don't produce at a high level and their draft stock drops.

smart didn't produce at a high level this season ... he has to have a unreal season next year to just stay at the same level he is at right now in draft stock

 

[GIA Stout]

So maybe 1 roster player per year gets "noticeably better." If were Smart I'd love those odds.

So Ford has been at OSU 8 years? That's news to me.

Please name all the players that got worse under Ford and didn't become better players year to year.

 

[SuperHoops]

because he doesn't have a NBA postion and because he can't shoot and because he is only a good not great athlete

That's already the knock on him and he was as high as #2 or 3 on a lot of draft boards for this year. Dude is a great athlete.

 

[Dignon003]

So maybe 1 roster player per year gets "noticeably better." If were Smart I'd love those odds.

Of those guys I named, 3 of them were on the roster this season and two of them still are.

Hopefully Ford's retention problems are a thing of the past. Although, OSU is now over the scholarship limit for next year.

 

[bgrch1350]

Of those guys I named, 3 of them were on the roster this season and two of them still are.

Hopefully Ford's retention problems are a thing of the past. Although, OSU is now over the scholarship limit for next year.

I'm sure Ford will run off his big men. Soucek and Gardner are prolly gone.

 

[NMSooner'80]

And I'm sure they felt the same way about Blake Griffin.

It's all about perspective.

True, but I honestly don't care about the Orange perspective. I've been a Sooner fan way too long to not notice all of the cheap shots at pretty much anyone connected with OU Athletics, since the early 70's. It would take the rest of the day to list them all.

Sorry about the hijack, but I can't resist posting about one despicable thing that came out of that fan base, and is basketball related. When Billy Tubbs got hit by the car while jogging, roughly 30 years ago, some "entrepreneur" in the Aggy fan base created a t-shirt that said "I Jog With Billy" on the front and had tire tracks on the back." How does any thinking person think that's funny?

More recently, they took to the 'net with cheap shots after the photo of Whitey Hand's proposal from Landry Jones - with things like, "I see a baby bump there" and "how did he afford a ring like that?" (hint on the latter - his dad is rich). But, I digress....

 

[BoulderSooner]

That's already the knock on him and he was as high as #2 or 3 on a lot of draft boards for this year. Dude is a great athlete.

he is a good athlete and he has a "nba body" as a frosh ... but he doesn't have elite jumping or quickness ability .. and he is a "point guard"

the longer you are in school the more you have to produce and less potential you have ...

 

[SuperHoops]

he is a good athlete and he has a "nba body" as a frosh ... but he doesn't have elite jumping or quickness ability .. and he is a "point guard"

the longer you are in school the more you have to produce and less potential you have ...

He is quicker and has better hops right now than Jason Kidd or Steve Nash ever did during their careers. His vertical is close to 38", how is that not "elite".

 

[gwydion]

Well osu isn't waiting to capitalize. For some reason I'm on their athletic dept. mailing list and I just received an email featuring a big photo of Smart and stating that 2013-14 basketball tickets are now on sale. You'll be happy to know prices start at $199 and great seats are still available.