Tyler Smith expected to forgo senior season

#51
#51
I can't imagine why he'd stay.

Unlike normal college grads who build 30-40 year careers after college, Tyler has a 10-15 year window to maximize his earnings potential. Every additional moment he spends in Knoxville, he's essentially writing a personal check to the university of Tennessee.

It's not as if he's going to have some dramatic metamorphosis and become a lottery pick in the next 12 months. The NBA guys know what kind of player he is...he may as well take his chances in the draft and get paid to play next year.
 
#52
#52
kidbourbon said:
That isn't true. There are lots of guys who got to the NBA and then learned to shoot. I'm not saying Tyler will end up as a long range assassin in the NBA, but he can improve his shot. His shooting form certainly isn't Ray Allen-esque, so I would definitely put a ceiling on how good of a shooter he can be. But I definitely think that it isn't too late for him to improve this aspect of his game.
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I don't think there are lots. And of the very few that might have done this, they were able to overcome their shooting woes with unbelievable athleticism, and Tyler Smith does not have that.
 
#53
#53
Jaytrain5 said:
I can't imagine why he'd stay.

Unlike normal college grads who build 30-40 year careers after college, Tyler has a 10-15 year window to maximize his earnings potential. Every additional moment he spends in Knoxville, he's essentially writing a personal check to the university of Tennessee.

It's not as if he's going to have some dramatic metamorphosis and become a lottery pick in the next 12 months. The NBA guys know what kind of player he is...he may as well take his chances in the draft and get paid to play next year.
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Agreed. Do the right thing and go to Europe for a couple of years and see if it can lead you back to the NBA.
 
#54
#54
kiffinator13 said:
I don't think there are lots. And of the very few that might have done this, they were able to overcome their shooting woes with unbelievable athleticism, and Tyler Smith does not have that.
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1) I really don't want to have to make a list, but there are a *substantial* number of guys who got into the league mostly on athletic ability, and who developed a nice jumpshot in their first couple of years. Dwayne Wade, Marvin Williams, Baron Davis, and Rasheed are a few that come to mind.

2) Is Tyler as athletic as those guys? Probably not. But it isn't like we're talking about Dane Bradshaw here. Tyler does pretty well in the athleticism department -- definitely not his weak point.
 
#56
#56
kidbourbon said:
1) I really don't want to have to make a list, but there are a *substantial* number of guys who got into the league mostly on athletic ability, and who developed a nice jumpshot in their first couple of years. Dwayne Wade, Marvin Williams, Baron Davis, and Rasheed are a few that come to mind.

2) Is Tyler as athletic as those guys? Probably not. But it isn't like we're talking about Dane Bradshaw here. Tyler does pretty well in the athleticism department -- definitely not his weak point.
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Baron Davis and Marvin Williams were 4 years removed from high school when they entered the NBA?
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#58
#58
hatvol96 said:
Baron Davis and Marvin Williams were 4 years removed from high school when they entered the NBA?
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Fair point. But had they stayed longer at the collegiate level, they wouldn't have necessarily developed a legitimate jumpshot. Both could have done quite well at the collegiate level without one. In the NBA a good jumpshot is a necessity (with a couple of exceptions).

Tyler did shoot more from the outside this year, but it wasn't out of necessity. He was still able to use his athleticism around the basket to get points. That won't fly in the NBA, and so he'll have to develop a jumpshoot or he'll be out of the league. And when he has to, I think there is a chance that maybe he will.
 
#59
#59
kidbourbon said:
Fair point. But had they stayed longer at the collegiate level, they wouldn't have necessarily developed a legitimate jumpshot. Both could have done quite well at the collegiate level without one. In the NBA a good jumpshot is a necessity (with a couple of exceptions).

Tyler did shoot more from the outside this year, but it wasn't out of necessity. He was still able to use his athleticism around the basket to get points. That won't fly in the NBA, and so he'll have to develop a jumpshoot or he'll be out of the league. And when he has to, I think there is a chance that maybe he will.
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Tyler Smith spent the entire past offseason working on the skills he needed to improve to elevate his NBA stock. We saw the results on the floor this season. It's not like the work that did little good in the summer of '08 will suddenly take in '09.
 
#60
#60
kidbourbon said:
Fair point. But had they stayed longer at the collegiate level, they wouldn't have necessarily developed a legitimate jumpshot. Both could have done quite well at the collegiate level without one. In the NBA a good jumpshot is a necessity (with a couple of exceptions).

Tyler did shoot more from the outside this year, but it wasn't out of necessity. He was still able to use his athleticism around the basket to get points. That won't fly in the NBA, and so he'll have to develop a jumpshoot or he'll be out of the league. And when he has to, I think there is a chance that maybe he will.
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The four examples you gave are all guys who were lottery picks, regardless if they made a single jumpshot in college. Tyler Smith knew going into last summer that he needed to improve his ballhandling and jumpshooting to get drafted in a position that would get him a guaranteed contract. He worked exhaustively on those parts of his game. There was little to no improvement. He is essentially a finished product as a player. All another year is going to do is make him older and give scouts another year to magnify his flaws.
 
#61
#61
kidbourbon said:
That isn't true. There are lots of guys who got to the NBA and then learned to shoot. I'm not saying Tyler will end up as a long range assassin in the NBA, but he can improve his shot. His shooting form certainly isn't Ray Allen-esque, so I would definitely put a ceiling on how good of a shooter he can be. But I definitely think that it isn't too late for him to improve this aspect of his game.
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Yes, it is. guys going from high school or after their freshman season is one thing.

Tyler has had four full seasons to learn to shoot and still can't. He isn't magically going to add range to his game that isn't there.

It would help if he would spread his feet a little instead of keeping them so close together.
 
#62
#62
kidbourbon said:
1) I really don't want to have to make a list, but there are a *substantial* number of guys who got into the league mostly on athletic ability, and who developed a nice jumpshot in their first couple of years. Dwayne Wade, Marvin Williams, Baron Davis, and Rasheed are a few that come to mind.

2) Is Tyler as athletic as those guys? Probably not. But it isn't like we're talking about Dane Bradshaw here. Tyler does pretty well in the athleticism department -- definitely not his weak point.
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For the position he is going to play he will be average in athleticism in the NBA.
 
#63
#63
JZVOL said:
Yes, it is. guys going from high school or after their freshman season is one thing.

Tyler has had four full seasons to learn to shoot and still can't. He isn't magically going to add range to his game that isn't there.
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Exactly. It's not like this is a secret. I can assure you there are four NBA teams who are taking exactly this position on Tyler Smith.
 
#64
#64
hatvol96 said:
The four examples you gave are all guys who were lottery picks, regardless if they made a single jumpshot in college. Tyler Smith knew going into last summer that he needed to improve his ballhandling and jumpshooting to get drafted in a position that would get him a guaranteed contract. He worked exhaustively on those parts of his game. There was little to no improvement. He is essentially a finished product as a player. All another year is going to do is make him older and give scouts another year to magnify his flaws.
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Like Tyler Hansbrough.
 
#65
#65
I really wish he would come back and polish his game up a little more but hey if He feels he is ready then by all means go for it and I wish the kid all the luck in the world.
 
#66
#66
Some people are forgetting to mention the pursuit of a degree here.

I agree with all of you that say that Tyler needs to go now because his skills wont improve with 1 more year in college, so he should just go now try to get as much money as possible whether it's the NBA or Euro League.

But maybe Tyler realizes his chances of having a lengthy NBA career are slim to none, so why not come back get your degree. Then your guaranteed of having some career in life not just basketball.
 
#67
#67
jmoore_21 said:
Some people are forgetting to mention the pursuit of a degree here.

I agree with all of you that say that Tyler needs to go now because his skills wont improve with 1 more year in college, so he should just go now try to get as much money as possible whether it's the NBA or Euro League.

But maybe Tyler realizes his chances of having a lengthy NBA career are slim to none, so why not come back get your degree. Then your guaranteed of having some career in life not just basketball.
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I'm pretty sure UT, despite a few troubles, isn't going out of business. He can always come back and get his degree. He's been in college four years. If he's serious about getting a degree, he should be within one summer term of getting it at the end of this semester. That's one offseason.
 
#71
#71
hatvol96 said:
The four examples you gave are all guys who were lottery picks, regardless if they made a single jumpshot in college. Tyler Smith knew going into last summer that he needed to improve his ballhandling and jumpshooting to get drafted in a position that would get him a guaranteed contract. He worked exhaustively on those parts of his game. There was little to no improvement. He is essentially a finished product as a player. All another year is going to do is make him older and give scouts another year to magnify his flaws.
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If he really did put in the necessary reps, then I'd have to concede the point...that he's just not meant to be a shooter.

It is at least encouraging to hear that practicing diligently to improve one's skills and participating in the rocky top league are not mutually exclusive ventures.
 
#72
#72
kidbourbon said:
If he really did put in the necessary reps, then I'd have to concede the point...that he's just not meant to be a shooter.

It is at least encouraging to hear that practicing diligently to improve one's skills and participating in the rocky top league are not mutually exclusive ventures.
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The Rocky Top League has nothing to do with it. Tyler was in the gym a minimum of two hours a day last summer working on his shot and ballhandling. He has simply reached his ceiling as a player. Can he make the NBA? Yes. In the last 10 minutes, I've seen both Cartier Martin and Greg Buckner on the floor in separate games. He's just going to have to do it with the shot he has.
 
#73
#73
He needs to be a Trenton Hassell clone IMO. Basically accept he's going to be limited as far as scoring in the NBA and commit to D and rebounding.
 
#74
#74
JZVOL said:
He needs to be a Trenton Hassell clone IMO. Basically accept he's going to be limited as far as scoring in the NBA and commit to D and rebounding.
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Is Hassell still on a roster? I haven't heard anything about him since he was with the Bulls.
 
#75
#75
JZVOL said:
He needs to be a Trenton Hassell clone IMO. Basically accept he's going to be limited as far as scoring in the NBA and commit to D and rebounding.
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Every team has a guy or two Tyler can look at and say "I can do that." It's just landing with a team that needs that type of role player.
 
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