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Authored by Brian Reynolds - 23rd March, 2009 - 11:17 pm
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Merry Christmas, Raptors Fans
The Raptors might not be playing good basketball right now, but there are plenty of things for Toronto fans to be thankful for this holiday season.
A Melo Behind The Superstars
Carmelo Anthony has never been one of the league's most efficient offensive players.
A Melo Behind The Superstars
Carmelo Anthony has never been one of the league's most efficient offensive players.
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The Pac-10 Conference had a poor showing in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Purdue bounced Washington. Villanova manhandled UCLA. Cal showed up for a half, then they were put away by Maryland. And USC played hard, but eventually fell to a better team in Michigan State. Only the 12th seeded Arizona Wildcats will play in the sweet 16.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment, however, can be placed on a single player – James Harden – the heart and soul of an Arizona State team that showed no signs of life against Syracuse until it was too late. Now, it’s decision time for Harden. Should he forgo his junior and senior season and make himself eligible for the 2009 NBA draft? Barring a shocking turn, he is a top-10 lock, but his recent performance in this year’s NCAA tournament may give him the urge to come back and prove himself even more.
Some say the 6'5" shooting guard is a bit undersized to be effective at the 2 in the NBA game. But when you look at a Dwyane Wade or a Brandon Roy – almost the exact stature of Harden – you should throw that idea away immediately. Harden shares a lot of other qualities with these NBA All-Stars as well as other elite NBA players such as Manu Ginobili and Andre Iguodala. He is a hard-worker who shines at the offensive end. He can handle the ball and has excellent court awareness to find the open man. He is extremely unselfish and is coming off a phenomenal season in which he earned Pac-10 Player of the Year honors.
Perhaps the most important quality Harden shares with these players is that he is a winner. And winning on college basketball’s biggest stage – the NCAA Tournament – is something that Harden has failed to do. If he stays for another season, however, Harden can add that to his impressive list of accomplishments as well – and further the comparisons to the best of NBA’s shooting guards.
Dwyane Wade left Marquette after his junior season. Although he did not play in his freshman season due to academic problems, he matured and saw his game flourish in his second and third year. Wade averaged 21.5 ppg in his junior year, leading the Golden Eagles to a Conference-USA Championship and their first Final Four appearance since they won the National Championship in 1977.
Brandon Roy stayed all four seasons at Washington and like Harden, took home Pac-10 Player of the Year honors, in his senior year. Roy averaged 20.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, and 4.1 apg in his final season with the Huskies. All these numbers are eerily similar to Harden’s sophomore season in which he accumulated 20.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, and 4.2 apg. Roy though shined in March. After not making it to the Big Dance in his freshman season, Roy and the Huskies were eliminated in the first round by UAB in 2004. In his junior and senior season, Roy led his team to two sweet 16 appearances. In the second round of a game against Illinois in 2006, Roy tallied 21 points and seven rebounds. Washington trailed by 11 earlier in the game and came back to defeat the slightly favored Fighting Illini by three.
If Harden does in fact declare for the draft, he may still develop into an NBA All-Star. It’s been proven that you don’t have to win in college to be an elite player in the pros. However, players such as Wade and Roy that have taken the extra year in college to mature have found lots of success at the next level and are living their potential. Wade led his team to a championship in 2006. Roy has ignited a young Portland club to a 44-26 record this season and are currently only two games behind Houston for the number two seed in the Western Conference.
Other guards like DaJuan Wagner, Martell Webster and Jerryd Bayless may have benefited if they stayed a couple more seasons at their respective colleges, or in Webster’s case, attended college at all. There is something about the college game and the NCAA Tournament that allows players to grow. It’s about tuning your skills and gaining confidence. It’s about the overall experience of college basketball. It’s something that you won’t get as a young player in the NBA game.
Wagner was a highly coveted scoring point guard out of Memphis who entered the NBA in 2002 after only one season in college. He is now playing overseas for a Poland team. Webster and Bayless – teammates of Brandon Roy – are trying to find their niche in the NBA game. Webster averaged almost 7 ppg in his first two seasons before averaging almost 11 in his third year. He has sat out all but five minutes this season due to a stress fracture in his left foot. Bayless, more of a point guard, has struggled to find consistent playing time behind veterans Steve Blake and Sergio Rodriguez.
Although Webster and Bayless may still emerge into terrific NBA players, they are far behind other players such as Wade and Roy because of their lack of success on the collegiate level. Their true potential may never be fulfilled because their experience at that level was cut short.
Even Andre Iguodala, who left after his sophomore season at Arizona, enjoyed college success in his freshman year – making it to the Elite 8 in 2003. Iguodala just signed a six-year, $80 million contract in August with the Philadelphia 76ers and has turned into one of the league’s best wings.
Manu Ginobili, the guy who Harden is constantly compared to, did not play in college. He did, however, enjoy success in the Argentine Basketball League and then in the Italian League. He was drafted by the Spurs in 1999, but did not sign with them immediately. Instead, he went back to Italy to gain more experience and was named Italian League MVP in 2000-2001 and 2001-2002.
Obviously there are exceptions. LeBron James is a freak of nature. The book is still out on O.J. Mayo and Eric Gordon, but early signs point to a long and successful career for each. Every player is different, but if you are a highly coveted prospect, there is no denying that success on the college level will help.
As James Harden eyes the NBA spotlight, it might not be a bad idea for him to return for one more season and enjoy more success at a very competitive level – like Wade, Roy, Iguodala, and Ginobili. If he declares, he will hear the critics loud and clear due to his poor performances over the past weekend. The Orange stifled Harden. Their 2-3 zone confused Harden, who was held scoreless in the first half. Even in the first round against Temple, Harden only converted one field goal in the entire game, finishing with nine points and four turnovers.
It was obviously not the way Harden envisioned his season to come to an end. Although, who knows, it could be a blessing in disguise if he does come back for another year.
As of now, Harden’s mind is not made up. After elimination on Sunday, Harden told the Miami Herald, “I’ll take a couple days, a couple weeks, however long it needs to take to talk it over with my family, and my coaches.”
Take your time James Harden. There is no rush. Just ask your future colleagues. |
