Romeo Langford

[Indykev]

5 minutes ago, Indykev said:

What I didnt post yesterday was Elston picked Romeo up in golf cart yesterday and took him to AH to join the Joey Brunk visit....

I do have photos of this but not going to post them..

[IUwins0708]

Not sure if it was just talk or not but before he even signed his father and him both said he wasn’t for sure a OAD and would leave when he/they thought he was ready to contribute to an NBA team. 

[OGIUAndy]

If Romeo stayed that would be a coup of the highest proportions. I would say he has a lot to work on (his outside shot and left hand), but some team will definitely draft him in the first round because of his size and upside. But injuries could definitely be a concern. NBA is a way different beast than college. 

[Indykev]

2 minutes ago, IUwins0708 said:

Not sure if it was just talk or not but before he even signed his father and him both said he wasn’t for sure a OAD and would leave when he/they thought he was ready to contribute to an NBA team. 

There are very good reasons to go and to stay another year. Lets see whats important to the Langfords. Not to much longer now and we all know.

[Billingsley99]

9 minutes ago, IUwins0708 said:

Not sure if it was just talk or not but before he even signed his father and him both said he wasn’t for sure a OAD and would leave when he/they thought he was ready to contribute to an NBA team. 

I think it is and was more than just talk. I know some on here say it was OAD from the get go, but i don't feel thats true. Unless you are RL or his dad I feel the info I received on this was spot on. We have to be a contender for him to stay and he has to fall a lot of spots. If we were gonna challenge next year the latter would not matter 

[NotIThatLives]

The back and wrist may be enough to knock him down a few more spots, even if they are fixed/fixable.  

[IU Scott]

13 minutes ago, IUwins0708 said:

Not sure if it was just talk or not but before he even signed his father and him both said he wasn’t for sure a OAD and would leave when he/they thought he was ready to contribute to an NBA team. 

That is the question these kids need to answer do you want to be able to contribute or are you just looking to get drafted and paid.  Also they need to ask themselves are they ready for the NBA lifestyle away from the court and able to handle their finances.

[Indykev]

4 minutes ago, Billingsley99 said:

I think it is and was more than just talk. I know some on here say it was OAD from the get go, but i don't feel thats true. Unless you are RL or his dad I feel the info I received on this was spot on. We have to be a contender for him to stay and he has to fall a lot of spots. If we were gonna challenge next year the latter would not matter 

We are adding good players. If Romeo stayed everything would be ran through him on offense. Thats what the knock on him is with scouts, can he own the team and take over. Next year he could show that.

[Artesian_86]

39 minutes ago, Indykev said:

What I didnt post yesterday was Elston picked Romeo up in golf cart yesterday and took him to AH to join the Joey Brunk visit....

......going along with this,.....If Romeo didn't plan on returning to IU, why would he be going on this tour to help pull in Brunk?

[BGleas]

1 hour ago, AxnJxn said:

Nah, it's really just starting your career earlier so you can get promoted earlier. Staying in school just pushes that back a year, and adds no real value to your overall career trajectory. Don't get me wrong, I'd love for Romeo to stay another year, I just don't agree with some of the reasons people are giving, particularly the financial ones.

Having worked in the NBA, I'm typically someone that thinks you should go while you can and that the development is better in the NBA and even G-League. But, there is definitely value in coming back to college and it is monetary, though it's definitely a risk. You can not build your brand in the G-League. The Langford's seemed to be big "brand" people throughout the recruiting process and unfortunately due to the lack of IU's team success and quite frankly some of his deficiencies, he didn't really help his brand at all this season, he maybe even hurt it. 

Again, I'm not necessarily saying coming back is the right move, just saying there are real benefits. If Langford were to work on his ball handling, shooting and leadership over the summer and have a huge year next year (Big Ten POY type season), with improved team success (Big Ten Title hunt and tourney run), he could stand to gain tens of millions of dollars in endorsement money that probably isn't there for him right now.  

It would be up to Langford to raise his game and of course the team to do better, which is a huge risk, but there is actual monetary value in coming back. I'm not comparing Langford to Zion, but for the people that say Zion got nothing out of college, that's crazy. Zion made himself literally hundreds of millions of dollars with the exposure and branding he got out of playing at Duke. He's not the #1 pick and he's not a $100M shoe deal guy if he came to the NBA right out of high school. 

[Artesian_86]

Just now, BGleas said:

Having worked in the NBA, I'm typically someone that thinks you should go while you can and that the development is better in the NBA and even G-League. But, there is definitely value in coming back to college and it is monetary, though it's definitely a risk. You can not build your brand in the G-League. The Langford's seemed to be big "brand" people throughout the recruiting process and unfortunately due to the lack of IU's team success and quite frankly some of his deficiencies, he didn't really help his brand at all this season, he maybe even hurt it. 

Again, I'm not necessarily saying coming back is the right move, just saying there are real benefits. If Langford were to work on his ball handling, shooting and leadership over the summer and have a huge year next year (Big Ten POY type season), with improved team success (Big Ten Title hunt and tourney run), he could stand to gain tens of millions of dollars in endorsement money that probably isn't there for him right now.  

It would be up to Langford to raise his game and of course the team to do better, which is a huge risk, but there is actual monetary value in coming back. I'm not comparing Langford to Zion, but for the people that say Zion got nothing out of college, that's crazy. Zion made himself literally hundreds of millions of dollars with the exposure and branding he got out of playing at Duke. He's not the #1 pick and he's not a $100M shoe deal guy if he came to the NBA right out of high school. 

It definitely helped Juwan improve his NBA chances by coming back a year.....He definitely was not ready last year..

[AxnJxn]

1 hour ago, ArchieBall13 said:

Disagree. I know I would not be ready for taking certain jobs that I may be able to "land" initially and then get overwhelmed and be in a worse spot in the long run. Same goes for the things I do currently, I would not have been prepared for the responsibilities I have today based on my skill-set two years ago. Same rule applies for NBA basketball in Romeo's case, only now the margin for error is MUCH smaller than the Corporate world. If you fall on your face in the NBA, that may be all she wrote and you may not ever get to that second contract. 

I don't know what the right answer is for Romeo, but it's a valid line of thinking that he needs to take into account whatever he decides. Also, this totally excludes other factors like just wanting to be in college for another year for social gain or academic gain later in life. Lots of factors.

These aren't good comparisons, and I'll give you a few reasons off the top of my head:

- The second Romeo signs his first contract, he's set his family up for life financially. The second contract will set his kids up for life. Unless you're in the 1%, you don't get to make a choice like this.

- He has the opportunity to go up against the best in the world, and to learn from them. Again, in your 9-5 job, you don't have that opportunity. It's like being oneo f the smartest kids in the country coming out of high school and choosing to go to a generic state school instead of MIT or Harvard. If you surround yourself with the best, you're going to be learning from the best. As for falling on your face or whatever, hell, even Darko Milicic got a second contract. A large majority of guys in this position will succeed, particularly the ones that have it together both on and off the court and have a good support system, like Romeo seems to have.

- These guys are on a clock, so to speak, that none of us in the 9-5 world are. His max time for earning in this career is about 15 years, and you're talking about 8-10 years of prime earning. Coming back to college just shaves a year off of that.

I do agree with @BGleas that there could be an opportunity to improve his brand, but I don't think that is greater than the opportunities he will have by going pro, and as much as I hate to admit it, comparing our program to the hype/ESPN train that is Duke isn't really comparable at this point, either. 

[AxnJxn]

10 minutes ago, Artesian_86 said:

It definitely helped Juwan improve his NBA chances by coming back a year.....He definitely was not ready last year..

Juwan wasn't a potential lottery pick after last year. 

[Indykev]

13 minutes ago, BGleas said:

Having worked in the NBA, I'm typically someone that thinks you should go while you can and that the development is better in the NBA and even G-League. But, there is definitely value in coming back to college and it is monetary, though it's definitely a risk. You can not build your brand in the G-League. The Langford's seemed to be big "brand" people throughout the recruiting process and unfortunately due to the lack of IU's team success and quite frankly some of his deficiencies, he didn't really help his brand at all this season, he maybe even hurt it. 

Again, I'm not necessarily saying coming back is the right move, just saying there are real benefits. If Langford were to work on his ball handling, shooting and leadership over the summer and have a huge year next year (Big Ten POY type season), with improved team success (Big Ten Title hunt and tourney run), he could stand to gain tens of millions of dollars in endorsement money that probably isn't there for him right now.  

It would be up to Langford to raise his game and of course the team to do better, which is a huge risk, but there is actual monetary value in coming back. I'm not comparing Langford to Zion, but for the people that say Zion got nothing out of college, that's crazy. Zion made himself literally hundreds of millions of dollars with the exposure and branding he got out of playing at Duke. He's not the #1 pick and he's not a $100M shoe deal guy if he came to the NBA right out of high school. 

Spot on ....Espn showing a womens NIT game talking about Zion...His shoe blowing out made him Millions. Some coming from Paul George's pocket which is also good. ha. He isnt getting that coverage in the G-league.

[Steubenhoosier]

I would love to see Romeo in the candy stripes for another year. I would love to see him build his legacy as a Hoosier.

I also see his going to the NBA as an aid for the program as it would show recruits that we are a program that can help kids get to the next level. Sure, he was going to be a pro all along. But it doesn't hurt to be able to say that in his first recruiting class, CAM placed a kid.

As far as whether Romeo is ready from a maturity standpoint. One thing that has impressed me is that the entire Langford family seems to be a really solid core for him. I think that whatever decision he makes, Romeo is going to be surrounded by a great safety net of family that will help him make the transition to adulthood much smoother. I don't worry at all that Romeo would get caught up in the trappings and not be ready from a maturity standpoint to handle the NBA at his age.

[AxnJxn]

15 minutes ago, BGleas said:

Zion made himself literally hundreds of millions of dollars with the exposure and branding he got out of playing at Duke. He's not the #1 pick and he's not a $100M shoe deal guy if he came to the NBA right out of high school. 

Appreciate the rest of your post and what you are saying, and addressed that in my other post. But, with respect to this part, and I know you and I don't really agree on this, but Zion was one bad shoe away from losing all of that money to a knee injury, too. 

[Indykev]

5 minutes ago, AxnJxn said:

Appreciate the rest of your post and what you are saying, and addressed that in my other post. But, with respect to this part, and I know you and I don't really agree on this, but Zion was one bad shoe away from losing all of that money to a knee injury, too. 

Yes Duke and Nike almost cost him. As big and strong as he is, the way he moves, letting him wear the same pair of shoes all season was crazy.

[ArchieBall13]

9 minutes ago, AxnJxn said:

These aren't good comparisons, and I'll give you a few reasons off the top of my head:

- The second Romeo signs his first contract, he's set his family up for life financially. The second contract will set his kids up for life. Unless you're in the 1%, you don't get to make a choice like this.

- He has the opportunity to go up against the best in the world, and to learn from them. Again, in your 9-5 job, you don't have that opportunity. It's like being oneo f the smartest kids in the country coming out of high school and choosing to go to a generic state school instead of MIT or Harvard. If you surround yourself with the best, you're going to be learning from the best. As for falling on your face or whatever, hell, even Darko Milicic got a second contract. A large majority of guys in this position will succeed, particularly the ones that have it together both on and off the court and have a good support system, like Romeo seems to have.

- These guys are on a clock, so to speak, that none of us in the 9-5 world are. His max time for earning in this career is about 15 years, and you're talking about 8-10 years of prime earning. Coming back to college just shaves a year off of that.

I do agree with @BGleas that there could be an opportunity to improve his brand, but I don't think that is greater than the opportunities he will have by going pro, and as much as I hate to admit it, comparing our program to the hype/ESPN train that is Duke isn't really comparable at this point, either. 

Basically all I was getting at was limiting Romeo's risk in the "fall flat on your face" scenario once he leaves college. Your point about Darko Milicic is one I didn't know about and if a guy like him still can get set for life for him and important others in his life then maybe that's good enough.

The hypothetical I had in my mind was Romeo gets into the league, gets destroyed by grown men 5-10 years older than him and his confidence is shot. He bounces around the G League in year 2 and then is never heard from him again. Might be too gloomy an outlook, but what I had in mind when I was typing. The counter to that is he stays an extra year to improve his shot, handles, alpha mentality and overall confidence in basketball/life to compete with grown men.  

[IU Scott]

People need to watch the 30 for 30 Broke and see how many of these athletes are not really set for life and go through all of their money.

[AxnJxn]

1 minute ago, IU Scott said:

People need to watch the 30 for 30 Broke and see how many of these athletes are not really set for life and go through all of their money.

I've seen it. C'mon, man, do you honestly think someone like Romeo with his support system is going to end up like that? Seriously?

[BGleas]

15 minutes ago, AxnJxn said:

Appreciate the rest of your post and what you are saying, and addressed that in my other post. But, with respect to this part, and I know you and I don't really agree on this, but Zion was one bad shoe away from losing all of that money to a knee injury, too. 

Nah, knee injuries aren't that bad anymore. Colin Hartman blew out his knee after the season one year and did not miss a single game the following season. OG blew out his knee in January and dropped a few spots in the draft. Zion made himself hundreds of millions of dollars by playing college basketball. The shoe blow out only helped him. Yes, if he had torn his ACL it would have hurt him for sure, but it still would have been a massive net gain compared to where he was coming out of high school. 

[Steubenhoosier]

Just now, AxnJxn said:

I've seen it. C'mon, man, do you honestly think someone like Romeo with his support system is going to end up like that? Seriously?

 

3 minutes ago, IU Scott said:

People need to watch the 30 for 30 Broke and see how many of these athletes are not really set for life and go through all of their money.

KInd of what I was saying. He is not from a family just waiting to cash in. From everything Romeo has shown thus far, he has a pretty good head on his shoulders.

[AxnJxn]

2 minutes ago, BGleas said:

Nah, knee injuries aren't that bad anymore. Colin Hartman blew out his knee after the season one year and did not miss a single game the following season. OG blew out his knee in January and dropped a few spots in the draft. Zion made himself hundreds of millions of dollars by playing college basketball. The shoe blow out only helped him. Yes, if he had torn his ACL it would have hurt him for sure, but it still would have been a massive net gain compared to where he was coming out of high school. 

Ok, and how much did Greg Oden's injuries cost him? What if he would have stayed in school, and all of those problems had hit him before he was drafted? Or, take a look at Shaun Livingston's early career, and the problems he had just securing any sort of contract after his injury. If I have a winning lottery ticket, I'm not going to walk around town for a year with it in my pocket and just assume I'm not going to lose it. I'm cashing it in asap. 

[BGleas]

15 minutes ago, AxnJxn said:

Ok, and how much did Greg Oden's injuries cost him? What if he would have stayed in school, and all of those problems had hit him before he was drafted? Or, take a look at Shaun Livingston's early career, and the problems he had just securing any sort of contract after his injury. If I have a winning lottery ticket, I'm not going to walk around town for a year with it in my pocket and just assume I'm not going to lose it. I'm cashing it in asap. 

I've said the entire time that I am not advocating for him coming back. What I am saying is that there are actual monetary benefits that exist, potentially massive ones, to playing college basketball. Zion would be an idiot for coming back to college next year, that's established, but he also made himself hundreds of millions of dollars by playing in college. 

Langford will make a lot of money by going pro this year. With that said, and as I've said numerous times it would be a huge gamble to come back, but coming back could potentially make him more. Adidas isn't giving the 16th pick a $30M shoe contract, but they might give one to the 3rd pick. 

Injuries are a part of sports. You can't predict them and you can't plan for them. Oden made a ton of money by being the #1 pick in the draft and by playing on a huge stage at OSU. I've never said the projected #1 pick should come back to school, but those guys did benefit from playing in college. The great basketball players make most of their money off endorsements, not necessarily their NBA contracts. Endorsements are made off of having a brand and an audience. You can build a brand and an audience in the NBA of course, but you make more money upfront if you enter the league with one already established. 

Again, I'm not saying the smart move for Langford is to come back, I'm saying there is a scenario where it would pay off for him. 

[AxnJxn]

3 minutes ago, BGleas said:

I've said the entire time that I am not advocating for him coming back. What I am saying is that there are actual monetary benefits that exist, potentially massive ones, to playing college basketball. Zion would be an idiot for coming back to college next year, that's established, but he also made himself hundreds of millions of dollars by playing in college. 

Langford will make a lot of money by going pro this year. With that said, and as I've said numerous times it would be a huge gamble to come back, but coming back could potentially make him more. Adidas isn't giving the 16th pick a $30M shoe contract, but they might give one to the 3rd pick. 

Injuries are a part of sports. You can't predict them and you can't plan for them. Oden made a ton of money by being the #1 pick in the draft and by playing on a huge stage at OSU. I've never said the projected #1 pick should come back to school, but those guys did benefit from playing in college. The great basketball players make most of their money off endorsements, not necessarily their NBA contracts. Endorsements are made off of having a brand and an audience. You can build a brand and an audience in the NBA of course, but you make more money upfront if you enter the league with one already established. 

Again, I'm not saying the smart move for Langford is to come back, I'm saying there is a scenario where it would pay off for him. 

I actually think we're pretty much on the same page here, with just a slight difference on the injury risk. I do agree that there is the opportunity for Romeo to improve his value by coming back for one more year, I just think most people aren't looking at the full scope of that decision, what he's giving up/risking if he does come back, or are trying to compare it to the average Joe's decision on his 9-5 job/career.