Another 2016-2017 basketball article

[Lumpy Chucklelips]

that puts us in the top 25 and one Vegas book gives us 100-1 odds of cutting down the nets.

I've copied the piece specific to us and linked the Vegas odds

http://linemakers.sportingnews.com/article/4700942-ncaa-tournament-2017-favorites-college-basketball-odds-futures-duke-kentucky-villanova-las-vegas

24. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Why they?re here: The Bulldogs, who finished 14-17 (but did beat Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Alabama in the final month of the season), could possibly bring back sophomore-to-be guards Malik Newman and Quinndary Weatherspoon, who combined to average 23.3 points per game. That would be a solid start, though Newman is going through the draft evaluation process and appears to be leaning toward staying in the draft (he's 42nd on the latest DraftExpress mock, but hasn't hired an agent). But make no mistake ? the Bulldogs are here because of the ridiculously good recruiting class coach Ben Howland has landed. Five four-star recruits are heading to Starkville: three guards (Lamar Peters, Tyson Carter and Eli Wright) and two big men (6-10 Schnider Herard and 6-7 Mario Kegler).

[blacklistedbully]

Man, Newman needs to come back. Imagine how much he could improve his draft stock with the team we have coming in. How many more hundreds of thousands or millions might he get on that first contract?

[RougeDawg]

Newman wasn't even in our top 3 players this past season. What exactly are nba teams willing to spend large sums of money on? We should not even be having this discussion. Leaving after an "average", at best, season on a 14-17 team, and thinking you are nba material is absurd.

[drummerdawg]

and two big men (6-10 Schnider Herard and 6-7 Mario Kegler).

No Abdul Ado?

[Dawg61]

Newman really is deadest on ****ing his pro career up if he stays in the draft.

[MarketingBully]

Newman really is deadest on ****ing his pro career up if he stays in the draft.

I don't think he will unless some team tells him they will draft him in the first round. Then it makes sense to stay in the draft. It is good for him to go through the process though and see what they want him to improve on. As I stated on the 247 site, I think this team's floor is the NIT and if Malik comes back we could make a run in the NCAA tournament.

[RocketDawg]

Newman wasn't even in our top 3 players this past season. What exactly are nba teams willing to spend large sums of money on? We should not even be having this discussion. Leaving after an "average", at best, season on a 14-17 team, and thinking you are nba material is absurd.

Maybe it's a cash flow thing for him, i.e., needing or just wanting (or being pushed by his parents) cash a year earlier than if he stayed. Youngsters don't necessarily think like an experienced adult, and if he's getting parental pressure ....

[Maroons]

Newman wasn't even in our top 3 players this past season. What exactly are nba teams willing to spend large sums of money on? We should not even be having this discussion. Leaving after an "average", at best, season on a 14-17 team, and thinking you are nba material is absurd.

You realize he was injured almost the entire year?

[maroonmania]

Maybe it's a cash flow thing for him, i.e., needing or just wanting (or being pushed by his parents) cash a year earlier than if he stayed. Youngsters don't necessarily think like an experienced adult, and if he's getting parental pressure ....

While I have no insight into the true situation, my personal feeling is just that he has always expected to go pro after just one year of college because of the constant hype surrounding him during HS where he was almost always projected as a high 1st round draft pick. Probably hard for him now to accept that his stock isn't at that level at the moment and maybe being one and done is not the best path for him. Of course though the injuries were a factor and its still possible that he could blow some scouts away at the pre-draft workouts but I just don't see it myself. Even during the games where he was healthy, other that being a terrific spot up outside shooter, he just didn't seem to have any other aspect of his game that just screamed out that this is a high draft pick.