Romeo Langford

[Shooter]

1 hour ago, ephul said:

1.) The NBA will sharpen your game as much, or more, than college. And you'll make money doing it. The NBA drafts on potential in many cases. They understand kids needing to develop. Which is why Jalen Brunson got drafted late, and some other guy you probably rarely heard of got drafted in the first round. The guy you never heard of probably had a great vertical, +6" wingspan, agile, etc.

2.) Oladipo HAD to stay because he just wasn't going to get drafted high until his junior year. And the second both he and Zeller saw their chance, they left. Which is what 99.9% of kids are going to do.

Romeo is going to either make it or he's not. And if he doesn't, it's not because he left college after 1 year. It's because he just didn't have the makeup for the NBA. If he doesn't make it with the team who drafted him, there will be plenty other opportunities/teams that want to give him a shot.

Zeller was absolutely a lottery pick after his freshman year, and came back. Yes that is a rarity, but let's not make revisionist history. I also think Romeo will leave but he would not be the first guy to pass up lottery money. It occasionally happens. Off the top of my head, Miles Bridges was another.

[FKIM01]

2 hours ago, ephul said:

1.) The NBA will sharpen your game as much, or more, than college. And you'll make money doing it. The NBA drafts on potential in many cases. They understand kids needing to develop. Which is why Jalen Brunson got drafted late, and some other guy you probably rarely heard of got drafted in the first round. The guy you never heard of probably had a great vertical, +6" wingspan, agile, etc.

2.) Oladipo HAD to stay because he just wasn't going to get drafted high until his junior year. And the second both he and Zeller saw their chance, they left. Which is what 99.9% of kids are going to do.

Romeo is going to either make it or he's not. And if he doesn't, it's not because he left college after 1 year. It's because he just didn't have the makeup for the NBA. If he doesn't make it with the team who drafted him, there will be plenty other opportunities/teams that want to give him a shot.

Sorry...we'll have to disagree on both points.

If you don't think it's possible to leave too early and flame out as a result, you need to dig a little deeper.  The NBA is littered with bust stories and undoubtedly at least some of them were simply not ready and failed as a result. There's a mental aspect to the game as well as the physical aspect.

...and Zeller absolutely could have left a year earlier. For whatever reason, he didn't feel ready despite being projected in the lottery so he stayed. Sure, Oladipo needed to stay but if you don't think his brand got more valuable with the extra year at IU, we're just not going to be able to agree.  The bond between Oladipo and IU fans most assuredly strengthened in his junior year and his relationship with the IU fanbase is a huge reason why he is so popular as a pro. 

This doesn't mean Romeo's decision to leave is wrong...far from it. I just don't believe it's a cut and dry decision for every college player to leave as soon as they can. 

[Hoosierhoopster]

2 hours ago, ephul said:

1.) The NBA will sharpen your game as much, or more, than college. And you'll make money doing it. The NBA drafts on potential in many cases. They understand kids needing to develop. Which is why Jalen Brunson got drafted late, and some other guy you probably rarely heard of got drafted in the first round. The guy you never heard of probably had a great vertical, +6" wingspan, agile, etc.

2.) Oladipo HAD to stay because he just wasn't going to get drafted high until his junior year. And the second both he and Zeller saw their chance, they left. Which is what 99.9% of kids are going to do.

Romeo is going to either make it or he's not. And if he doesn't, it's not because he left college after 1 year. It's because he just didn't have the makeup for the NBA. If he doesn't make it with the team who drafted him, there will be plenty other opportunities/teams that want to give him a shot.

Echoing Shooter, Cody was a lottery pick but returned to complete more of his education and for the chance at a real run the next season. Vic and Cody were in completely different situations at that time.

Agree otherwise with much of what you're saying. Romeo 'making it' or not in the NBA will in no small part also turn on who drafts him, whether he stays healthy, and how his first couple of seasons go. He absolutely has the "makeup" for the NBA. He has the potential to be an all-star level player. I think he'll be fine, but hope he lands (this summer or next, whenever he goes but probably this summer) with a team with a good organization (not the Knicks, etc.).

[Billingsley99]

I know it has been said by several that RL was OAD with no chance at a second year. I believe if we were in position to make a run the door to stay would have been open. There is a desire to win championships at all levels for this young man

[ephul]

Just now, FKIM01 said:

Sorry...we'll have to disagree on both points.

If you don't think it's possible to leave too early and flame out as a result, you need to dig a little deeper.  The NBA is littered with bust stories and undoubtedly at least some of them were simply not ready and failed as a result. There's a mental aspect to the game as well as the physical aspect.

...and Zeller absolutely could have left a year earlier. For whatever reason, he didn't feel ready despite being projected in the lottery so he stayed. Sure, Oladipo needed to stay but if you don't think his brand got more valuable with the extra year at IU, we're just not going to be able to agree.  The bond between Oladipo and IU fans most assuredly strengthened in his junior year and his relationship with the IU fanbase is a huge reason why he is so popular as a pro. 

This doesn't mean Romeo's decision to leave is wrong...far from it. I just don't believe it's a cut and dry decision for every college player to leave as soon as they can. 

I agree 100% you can go to the NBA and flame out. No doubt about it. I'm not saying people can't. But if you can cash in on lottery pick money, why wouldn't you? And there is absolutely risk with staying in college.

Zeller could have, but his brothers are wealthy, his family isn't struggling, and Zeller just wanted to be a kid (in a good way). 

I'm not sure what you refer to as Oladipo's "brand", but his popularity is due to his hard work that got him where he is. Everyone is going to appreciate that. I think that comes with the territory; and by territory, I mean anyone that was a 3 star recruit, nothing but a defensive specialist as a freshmen, and then a lottery pick a few years later. Everyone is going to love that story, and Oladipo has a great personality and appreciation to go along with it.

Is it cut and dry? I guess that's a matter of opinion. The majority of these kids' dreams is to play in the NBA. Make money playing basketball. When you get the opportunity to do it, most are going to do it. The Zellers are rarities. No doubt. But there is risk to returning to college. Blowing out knees, dysfunctional teams hindering your performance, etc. If someone gets the opportunity to have financial stability for the rest of their life, it'd be hard to pass up. Which is why the majority of kids are going to do it.

Every situation is different. But Romeo is projected to be a lottery pick. If he fell out of the lottery, I'd say he should potentially return. But guaranteed money in that amount is crazy to pass up.

[Hoosierhoopster]

6 minutes ago, FKIM01 said:

Sorry...we'll have to disagree on both points.

If you don't think it's possible to leave too early and flame out as a result, you need to dig a little deeper.  The NBA is littered with bust stories and undoubtedly at least some of them were simply not ready and failed as a result. There's a mental aspect to the game as well as the physical aspect.

...and Zeller absolutely could have left a year earlier. For whatever reason, he didn't feel ready despite being projected in the lottery so he stayed. Sure, Oladipo needed to stay but if you don't think his brand got more valuable with the extra year at IU, we're just not going to be able to agree.  The bond between Oladipo and IU fans most assuredly strengthened in his junior year and his relationship with the IU fanbase is a huge reason why he is so popular as a pro. 

This doesn't mean Romeo's decision to leave is wrong...far from it. I just don't believe it's a cut and dry decision for every college player to leave as soon as they can. 

In fairness, on his point 1 I don't read that to say it's not possible to flame out early. What he said was the NBA will sharpen your game as much as or more than the college game -- and that's absolutely correct. The development in the NBA is better than it is in college, hands down.

However, the flip side is that when a guy isn't fully ready or has some real holes in his game the ability to grow the body, game, confidence and hone skills needed or missing while raising draft stock is there at the college level -- Vic is the shining example here, developing his outside game, raising his draft stock significantly. 

With Romeo, the perception is his outside game needs work. But the latter half of the season his shooting improved significantly, and that was while playing through that injury, sort of like EJ. The feedback he gets is going to drive his decision, not the silly draft boards (most of which mean next to nothing) or the perceptions of fans.

 

[tdhoosier]

8 minutes ago, FKIM01 said:

Sorry...we'll have to disagree on both points.

If you don't think it's possible to leave too early and flame out as a result, you need to dig a little deeper.  The NBA is littered with bust stories and undoubtedly at least some of them were simply not ready and failed as a result. There's a mental aspect to the game as well as the physical aspect.

...and Zeller absolutely could have left a year earlier. For whatever reason, he didn't feel ready despite being projected in the lottery so he stayed. Sure, Oladipo needed to stay but if you don't think his brand got more valuable with the extra year at IU, we're just not going to be able to agree.  The bond between Oladipo and IU fans most assuredly strengthened in his junior year and his relationship with the IU fanbase is a huge reason why he is so popular as a pro. 

This doesn't mean Romeo's decision to leave is wrong...far from it. I just don't believe it's a cut and dry decision for every college player to leave as soon as they can. 

Of the players who were 'busts' would their careers have changed for the better if they stayed in college? 

I think what Hoopster is getting at is that leaving early most likely will not hurt them. Sure, they may improve from another year in college but they could just as likely improve in the NBA and/or G League. 

Everybody has their reasons. What I personally object to is the 'sofa scouts' saying declaring in year 1 vs. year 2 is a mistake - they don't know the circumstances. I'm sure these kids are not making these important decisions on a whim; they are getting help from very knowledgeable people. 

[IU Scott]

5 minutes ago, tdhoosier said:

Of the players who were 'busts' would their careers have changed for the better if they stayed in college? 

I think what Hoopster is getting at is that leaving early most likely will not hurt them. Sure, they may improve from another year in college but they could just as likely improve in the NBA and/or G League. 

Everybody has their reasons. What I personally object to is the 'sofa scouts' saying declaring in year 1 vs. year 2 is a mistake - they don't know the circumstances. I'm sure these kids are not making these important decisions on a whim; they are getting help from very knowledgeable people. 

What I dislike is when people criticize kids who actually want to stay in college and telling them they are making mistakes.

[FKIM01]

Guys, I've said all I'll say here...we just aren't going to agree. I'm not, nor have I ever said that Romeo is making a mistake. I'm simply saying there's more to the decision than getting to the money a year sooner. Some players, for whatever reason, are simply not ready to move on even if scouts are very high on their potential. 

[tdhoosier]

2 minutes ago, IU Scott said:

What I dislike is when people criticize kids who actually want to stay in college and telling them they are making mistakes.

I'm not sure I've seen that - at least not on this form. 

I can't imagine a fan saying 'Romeo, go to the NBA now or you are making a huge mistake!".  Maybe you are misconstruing posts defending a player's ability to make a decision as criticism to not stay in college. 

[FKIM01]

15 minutes ago, tdhoosier said:

Of the players who were 'busts' would their careers have changed for the better if they stayed in college?

We'll never know for sure but I would say with a lot of conviction, yes...there are definitely some that would have benefited from staying in college. There's a mental aspect to the game as well and confidence is important. 

[tdhoosier]

Just now, FKIM01 said:

We'll never know for sure but I would say with a lot of conviction, yes...there are definitely some that would have benefited from staying in college. There's a mental aspect to the game as well and confidence is important. 

Since we are not dealing in absolutes, I'll just say we can agree to disagree on this hypothetical. 😎

[ArchieBall13]

7 minutes ago, FKIM01 said:

Guys, I've said all I'll say here...we just aren't going to agree. I'm not, nor have I ever said that Romeo is making a mistake. I'm simply saying there's more to the decision than getting to the money a year sooner. Some players, for whatever reason, are simply not ready to move on even if scouts are very high on their potential. 

I disagree with this take 

[rico]

9 minutes ago, FKIM01 said:

We'll never know for sure but I would say with a lot of conviction, yes...there are definitely some that would have benefited from staying in college. There's a mental aspect to the game as well and confidence is important. 

Anthony Bennett comes directly to mind.

[IU Scott]

29 minutes ago, tdhoosier said:

I'm not sure I've seen that - at least not on this form. 

I can't imagine a fan saying 'Romeo, go to the NBA now or you are making a huge mistake!".  Maybe you are misconstruing posts defending a player's ability to make a decision as criticism to not stay in college. 

People always state how stupid it would be to pass up the money and to me that is criticizing the player if he wants to stay.

[FKIM01]

28 minutes ago, tdhoosier said:

Since we are not dealing in absolutes, I'll just say we can agree to disagree on this hypothetical. 😎

Sure we can...but I disagree with your disagreement. 

[rico]

A lot of this stuff is moot.  Romeo is going...we just need to step back and start speculating what team he will end up with.

[dbmhoosier]

38 minutes ago, CoachSS said:

I'm only going to chime in once so people can save themselves a lot of time and energy. 

Romeo's plan since the start of his senior year and HS was to be a 1-and-done. He, his Dad and his trainer told that to everyone and it was very well understood. Anyone who ever thought, at any point, he would be coming back to Bloomington was either lying to themselves or just hoping for something that wasn't there. 

He is going to the NBA, and was always going to the NBA and anyone who heard differently got bad, bad, bad intel. 

Just trying to help fellow IU fans out from wasting any time and energy. It's too valuable. 

I thought that was extremely obvious once Tim said his college choice was going to be a business decision.  

[Hoosierhoopster]

2 hours ago, rico said:

Anthony Bennett comes directly to mind.

There's really nothing to indicate Bennett would've benefited from returning to college. He ended up a 'bust' based on how he performed after being drafted #1, but that doesn't mean he would've done better after another year in college. 

[Hoosierhoopster]

1 hour ago, rico said:

A lot of this stuff is moot.  Romeo is going...we just need to step back and start speculating what team he will end up with.

It looks like he's going, but it's not moot, no one here knows that he is in fact going. He hasn't hired an agent. He hasn't publicly stated he's going. He's probably going, that's all we know.

[rico]

13 minutes ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

There's really nothing to indicate Bennett would've benefited from returning to college. He ended up a 'bust' based on how he performed after being drafted #1, but that doesn't mean he would've done better after another year in college. 

And there is nothing to indicate he wouldn't have benefited....except for that being in the G-league thing.

[tdhoosier]

23 minutes ago, rico said:

And there is nothing to indicate he wouldn't have benefited....except for that being in the G-league thing.

Bennett has jumped around to 4 or 5 different teams. That’s 4 or 5 systems he couldn’t succeed in. Dude was a bust no matter which route he took and he got more chances to succeed because he was drafted number 1.

With his draft class being relatively weak (perceived at the time), I’m not so sure he would have went ahead of Wiggins, Parker and Embid that next year anyway. Thus, getting more guaranteed money to declare when he did.

 

[rico]

1 hour ago, tdhoosier said:

Bennett has jumped around to 4 or 5 different teams. That’s 4 or 5 systems he couldn’t succeed in. Dude was a bust no matter which route he took and he got more chances to succeed because he was drafted number 1.

With his draft class being relatively weak (perceived at the time), I’m not so sure he would have went ahead of Wiggins, Parker and Embid that next year anyway. Thus, getting more guaranteed money to declare when he did.

 

All hind sight now.

[Hoosierhoopster]

2 hours ago, rico said:

And there is nothing to indicate he wouldn't have benefited....except for that being in the G-league thing.

You get all kinds of hands-on development with the team, trainers, one-on-one etc. without school, it's not just the G-League thing, which is nothing to discount.

[rico]

34 minutes ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

You get all kinds of hands-on development with the team, trainers, one-on-one etc. without school, it's not just the G-League thing, which is nothing to discount.

Don't get me wrong, these guys should cash in their chips when they can.  As Steve Miller once sang....."Take the money and run..."