Chris Ledlum Enters the Transfer Portal

#52
#52
Complaining about JJJ is a terrible take. Ledlum could have left even if JJJ didn’t comeback and the Vols would be too small. This is on Ledlum. Ledlum either is homesick, he doesn’t want to compete, or the other players on the team are better than him. Ledlum was positioned to play a similar role as Grant did as a 4/5, JJJ can’t play the 5. If it is about competing, Ledlum saw Awaka, JJJ, Knecht, Estrella, Mashack, and DJ as threats to playtime. If the issue is competition for Ledlum, I don’t get why anyone would want a 5th year senior who quits three months in.
 
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#56
#56
bleedingTNorange said:
Idk how confident I am that Ledlum could/would’ve put up 25mpg 10ppg 6rpg for us…JJJ has proven he can do that.
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This fanbase gets Shiny New Toy Syndrome way too easily. Just watch the football forum the first time Milton throws a pick or overthrows a deep shot. Guarantee there will be posts calling for Nico
 
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#59
#59
bleedingTNorange said:
Idk how confident I am that Ledlum could/would’ve put up 25mpg 10ppg 6rpg for us…JJJ has proven he can do that.
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bleedingTNorange said:
Dunks and 3’s is analytically where things are going to/have been going to…Aidoo is solid on the oops, if he can continue to get a bit stronger and be a legit 38% type guy on open 3’s that will really open things up. Ledlum is probably going to be the best “post” type guy we have, if Aidoo can step out that will allow the both of them to play together.
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Here you were saying Ledlum would probably be our best "post" type guy
 
#62
#62
volsarelife1 said:
Well considering you posted this nearly a MONTH AFTER he announced he was coming back. I'll let you ponder on that real brain buster
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Apologies, read that as in post player, not post type…going back and reading it my post was in reference to talking about back to the basket types, you are correct in that I think Ledlum likely is/was the best at that (Awaka giving a run)…that’s not me saying he’s the best post player though, nor is it saying he’s better than JJJ. Add in the knee injury to Ledlum, along with his current position behind essentially the whole team with S&C and that take changes a bit with time. You’re likely the same person to hold someone to a take when it comes to recruiting, these things are fluid and can change over time.
 
#63
#63
Willy14 said:
Would love to hear your opinion on Ledlum leaving, think it decreases our ceiling?
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I think it’s unfortunate that he’s leaving, but it might be best. He’s had a rough couple of months. Knecht has been thriving on both ends, and Ledlum has not. He hasn’t been doing well on either end of the floor, but his O has been particularly weak. He’s also spent a lot of time on his own due to injury, and is missing the bonding that is needed early. Yesterday there was some discussion that they might be able to work through this and he’d stay, but I guess that isn’t true now. Ultimately he’s just not fitting in. I think it’s better for him to go than stay and be unhappy. If he can’t score on our guys and can’t play good team defense in the system, he probably wasn’t going to thrive against high level opponents.
 
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#64
#64
thunder5 said:
I'm willing to bet there's a girl involved if it's not a family illness situation...

Just pure, uninformed speculation on my part but major life decisions that are done in such a seemingly erratic and sudden way like this one are quite often traced back to the peaches and cream
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I think it is a combination of seeing too many cooks in the kitchen at his position and homesickness. I think JJJ returning threw a wrench in things which likely upset Ledlum knowing JJJ's status as a team leader and the staff's affinity for him. Now he's hurt, going to miss the Italy trip, and home started to look more appealing. Had transferring without penalty not been an option, he likely sticks it out, but since he can bolt with no penalty, he's going to find greener pastures. I'd look for him to land at St. Johns which satisfies both issues.
 
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#65
#65
BruisedOrange said:
"Was dealing with a knee issue and wasn’t going to play on the Italy tour in a couple weeks."

Attempting to imagine the view from Ledlum's perspective while dealing with a knee issue...

1) New teammates: You know what you can do, but you still have to prove yourself to win their on-court respect.

2) Higher level of competition: You don't know if your game is up to this level, so you also have to prove yourself to yourself. You're testing your own game on the court, knowing you need to quickly identify any parts of your Harvard game that will have to be discarded or upgraded for the SEC.

3) New defensive system/expectations: Although you're older, in this area you're now learning with the freshmen.

4) New environment/culture: Getting off campus normally provides new players some relief, some down time to relieve stress, and just be yourself for awhile. But Knoxville ain't Boston, and being off campus might become yet another challenge, maybe even getting under your skin that here's another way you don't naturally fit in. And good luck finding someone with DoorDash in Knoxville who can bring you a Cherry Frappe!

5) Being a part of a team might be your only stable identity for the moment.
And they're heading off to Italy to further bond with each other.

I have no idea if any of this reflects Ledlum's actual experience here, but it's definitely not hard to imagine.
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On the positive side, if JJJ is blessed with an injury-free season, we will witness a show we'll talk about for years to come!
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I think you likely nailed it on all counts.
 
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#67
#67
bleedingTNorange said:
I would’ve loved to have the option, but we are still incredibly deep even if JJJ has some health issues once again, or isn’t a 30mpg guy. Knecht, Mashack & DJ are all guys capable of playing small ball 4 in JJJ’s spot.
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We have a wealth of riches. I hate to see him go, but minutes were going to be a problem. I love the potential of DJ.
 
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#70
#70
I wish him the best. Looks to me like he showed up and had a couple months to be around his teammates and decided he didn’t like where he fit. Seems like a smart guy making a good business decision.

Honestly, when I saw that recent photo of him and some other guys at the food bank it struck me how short he appeared for someone hoping to compete in the post in the SEC. Guess I can say that now that he’s gone without getting crucified on here.
 
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#71
#71
I wasn't entirely sure he would fit in from the start. Didn't see his game translating at this level but I was trusting the staff. I don't think its a huge loss personally. Best of luck to him.
 
#72
#72
Stoerner Fumbles said:
I think it’s unfortunate that he’s leaving, but it might be best. He’s had a rough couple of months. Knecht has been thriving on both ends, and Ledlum has not. He hasn’t been doing well on either end of the floor, but his O has been particularly weak. He’s also spent a lot of time on his own due to injury, and is missing the bonding that is needed early. Yesterday there was some discussion that they might be able to work through this and he’d stay, but I guess that isn’t true now. Ultimately he’s just not fitting in. I think it’s better for him to go than stay and be unhappy. If he can’t score on our guys and can’t play good team defense in the system, he probably wasn’t going to thrive against high level opponents.
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This will not compute for the segment of posters who have been building him up as a double-double guy before he ever even played a game for us
 
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#73
#73
BruisedOrange said:
"Was dealing with a knee issue and wasn’t going to play on the Italy tour in a couple weeks."

Attempting to imagine the view from Ledlum's perspective while dealing with a knee issue...

1) New teammates: You know what you can do, but you still have to prove yourself to win their on-court respect.

2) Higher level of competition: You don't know if your game is up to this level, so you also have to prove yourself to yourself. You're testing your own game on the court, knowing you need to quickly identify any parts of your Harvard game that will have to be discarded or upgraded for the SEC.

3) New defensive system/expectations: Although you're older, in this area you're now learning with the freshmen.

4) New environment/culture: Getting off campus normally provides new players some relief, some down time to relieve stress, and just be yourself for awhile. But Knoxville ain't Boston, and being off campus might become yet another challenge, maybe even getting under your skin that here's another way you don't naturally fit in. And good luck finding someone with DoorDash in Knoxville who can bring you a Cherry Frappe!

5) Being a part of a team might be your only stable identity for the moment.
And they're heading off to Italy to further bond with each other.

I have no idea if any of this reflects Ledlum's actual experience here, but it's definitely not hard to imagine.
-----
On the positive side, if JJJ is blessed with an injury-free season, we will witness a show we'll talk about for years to come!
Click to expand...
I think several, if not all, of your points are on target. I can confirm that #4 is a real thing. I've seen first hand that it's a big change for a boy from the south heading to the NE so I have no doubt the reverse is also true. First words out of the players mouth while on an official visit was "I don't think I fit in here". I'm sure Ledlum was truly impressed with the reception he received on his visit, but when it's reality, I'm just as sure that those things you pointed out became very apparent so he decided to hit the reset button and look for another home. Wish the kid well and am glad that he recognized things weren't right for him instead of going forward in a situation that he just wouldn't be happy with. Good luck to him.
 
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#74
#74
Chaz-Vol said:
May be in the minority but the minutes were going to be a problem this year. Hopefully this means the freshmen/sophomores have more opportunities to develop and likely stay instead of transferring.
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No, you are correct. This team is deep and minutes will be an issue. I think Ledlum was concerned about that. Maybe he also figured out he was going to have to play more defense than he was used to playing to get PT. That is an issue on a Barnes team. You don’t play D and you will be riding the pine.
 
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#75
#75
Delmar said:
No, you are correct. This team is deep and minutes will be an issue. I think Ledlum was concerned about that. Maybe he also figured out he was going to have to play more defense than he was used to playing to get PT. That is an issue on a Barnes team. You don’t play D and you will be riding the pine.
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For any of the great coaches, you'll be riding the pine if you slack off on defense
 
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