Pitt may have at least 4 players in NBA
- Thread starter buckage
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Mike Young was the last good/great player he recruited. And while he scored a ton, he wasn't what this program needed.
The issue with Jamie is the last few classes he had where he screwed us, not the previous ones.
The issue with Jamie is the last few classes he had where he screwed us, not the previous ones.
Dixon's gone...why live in the past. It's over!
Cam Johnson will play in the NBA as well. He seemed like a reach when recruited but his shot and length will give him opportunity
Well if he was that good of a recruiter, his coaching must have been bad
He didn't screw anyone , he just was ineffective .
Unless he has an incredible leap I don't see anything resembling an NBA player in Cam .
Agreed that the scouts seem to like him, but Johnson has a long road ahead to prove himself.
I looked at a few 2018 and 2019 mock drafts and didn't see his name. Have seen Mustapha Heron on a couple though.
I have a friend who works in an NBA front office and he says they thought he might put is name in to the draft. They looked at his tape and liked what they saw and would have considered him late 2nd. He says they like his shot and release, and that he is an underrated passer and defender. In games where he was aggressive he took the ball to the rack well and can finish with both hands. His lateral speed is lacking and his release can be a little slow. He moves well without the ball but we didn't see it at pitt as they don't move. 3 and D wings who can score efficiently without needing a lot of touches are commodities, and they see Cam as capable of that, and if he improves handles more could possibly play the 2 more.
He will likely start at UNC, so we will get to see.
I think it is funny that this board now things Cam sucks, but people knew he'd be a 20ppg scorer here if he stayed.
He should have gotten more touches last year.
Send them PITT booster donation forms!
Like the rest they'll just thumb there noses and chuck it out!
PITT must be one of the worst U's in securing donations from pro football and basketball alums courtesy of the fine work of the PITT athletic depts and AD's!
Maybe Wonder Woman can change this troubling trend ????
Like the rest they'll just thumb there noses and chuck it out!
PITT must be one of the worst U's in securing donations from pro football and basketball alums courtesy of the fine work of the PITT athletic depts and AD's!
Maybe Wonder Woman can change this troubling trend ????
So last year KS had two NBA-roster players and a kid that UNC stole, yet didn't win
There is a huge gray area between sucking and playing in the NBA. Not sure who said he sucks and who said he would be a 20ppg scorer next year, but it surely wasn't me.
He's a really good shooter, but can't create his own shot. The fact that teams focused on stopping Young and Artis helped him immensely last year. He wouldn't have that luxury this year which is why going to UNC was the right move for him. He won't have to create shots and the D will be focused on other players.
As for the NBA, he doesn't have the handle or quickness to play guard and doesn't have the game to play the 3. Plenty of productive college players can't play in the NBA.
I don't think he sucks , I was actually expecting a much better season from him . I just don't think he's strong or athletic enough for the NBA . He also missed way too many wide open crucial shots last season . He'll be playing with much better players at UNC and we'll get a chance to see if he shines .
1. Adams, however he was an NBA player before Dixon ever knew about him
2. Wanamaker.....maybe, full credit to Jamie on this one
3. Artis will not make the Knicks
4. Young will not make the Wizards
5. Cam has a decent chance at the NBA if he can become an elite shooter, like a 45% from 3 guy. He's not quick enough otherwise. And what's the difference between him and James Southerland, who flamed out.
2. Wanamaker.....maybe, full credit to Jamie on this one
3. Artis will not make the Knicks
4. Young will not make the Wizards
5. Cam has a decent chance at the NBA if he can become an elite shooter, like a 45% from 3 guy. He's not quick enough otherwise. And what's the difference between him and James Southerland, who flamed out.
What do you mean by #1? Clearly, he wasn't in the NBA, or he would not have been eligible.
He was on one mock draft earlier this spring (around #55 or so).
But yes, he does have a long road to prove himself. He's got to prove he can put the ball on the floor as a weapon more effectively. I think he also needs to do more to convince folks that he could effectively guard other NBA twos.
By the way, Mike Young signed a two way contract with the Wizards. Two way contracts are new in the NBA from the last CBA. He gets an invite to camp and if he doesn't make the team he will play for the Wizards in the G-League (I don't think they have their own team yet). He makes $75,000 in the G-League, but he can also be called up to the Wizards and make pro-rated NBA money while he's with them. He can play with the Wizards a maximum of 45 days and then they would have to sign him to a full NBA contract to keep him longer than that.
I'm not sure I understand what you are getting at with your statement about Adams. I'm sure that's the same truth about any coach who brings in any top 10 recruit into college who gets to the NBA.
Guys like you said he'd never contribute at Pitt. Not enough stars. Next they said he'd never start. Not enough skills. Lately, they said he wasn't good enough for anyone to want as a transfer.
I said in December of his RS frosh year that he'd play in the NBA. He'll prove me right.
I meant that Adams wasn't "developed" by Dixon. He was already a lottery pick before Dixon knew about him. Credit to Jamie for finding him but he was going to be in the NBA regardless.
Jamie deserves a ton of credit for Brad and Cam. As weird as it sounds, Stallings may deserve more credit for Artis and Young than Dixon. Letting them do whatever they wanted offensively showed the scouts different parts of their offensive game.
He deserves credit for any kid that goes through the program. When people complain about the digs people make about Stallings, this is the kind of foolishness we have had to deal with regarding Dixon for the last decade.
I guess Dixon has developed more players than Calipari then. Good for him!
Dixon doesn't get credit for "developing" Adams. He gets credit for signing him. Same with Calipari. Very few players are "developed" into NBA players.
That's a poor attempt at a straw man in order to prematurely pat yourself on the back.
Maybe all of this is true, but what I am saying is that someone who works in the NBA told me he had a good shot, a year in UNCs system and he will get more exposure.
I also think he is faster, with better handles then he gets credit for, not great, but solid. There were some games last year where he showed what he could do when Artis and Young weren't dominating the ball. He was an effective and efficient scorer and would have been a good #1 on Pitt, and will get plenty of opportunity at UNC to put up points.
I'm no scout though, and I once put all my money in Larry Hughes rookie cards, so I take my own analysis with a grain of salt.
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What straw man?? I'm just saying that guys like you have ALREADY been deadass wrong about the kid.....and I'm predicting he'll have a career in the NBA....barring injury.
You also have Lamar Patterson who has a chance see time on an NBA roster again, but is not making much of the time he has gotten.
I'd say in likelihood you have Adams, Wanamaker, Young, Patterson, Artis. You also have DeJuan Blair still in the D-League
You have no idea what my opinion of Cam was coming out of high school or if I've been right or wrong. Time will tell who is right about the NBA. I'd bet on me.
Sometimes he showed flashes of it, but I always thought Artis had a ton of raw talent and would consider him equal to young or better as far players recruited here.
Yea, Dixon was pretty good at developing players but it got to the point where he was getting guys who needed a little too much development.
No doubt about it. Its also notable that only Adams is an impact guy from all that Pitt has sent to the NBA during the successful run.
I actually disagree on this point. I thought Cam was a very decent defender by year end. I confess that I could be bias meaning that our defense was so bad last year that anyone playing defense stood out to me.
Like everyone else on the team, he let folks beat him off the dribble, but he often recovered to some extent using his length.
Accordingly, to my above point, unlike most if the rest of the team, Cam wasn't as quick to switch off of his man.
I'm not going to try to say he was a strong defender. But there were a few games last year where I saw his defense sticking out positively among the rest of our guys. Again, not a huge compliment on a bad defensive team.
I don't agree. I think Cam will thrive at UNC. But this is one of debates that will prove itself one way or another in time.
I do too but who's to say that means he has to be a starter. On teams like unc a really good sixth man is still an integral part of the team.
He's certainly stepping into an ideal situation with Justin Jackson leaving and a high-powered, wing-oriented UNC offense in need of a wing scorer . It will be interesting to see what he does with it.
I confess, I'm not a big believer. Apparently Roy and a lot of other top coaches see it differently, so what do I know. I think he does "okay" at UNC, but will end up playing pro overseas. Even if he's a second rounder, unless he improves a ton, I don't see him as a NBA player.
It would certainly be ironic if Cam became the only backcourt or wing player Dixon ever had to make it as a legit NBA player. And for the record, I'm not counting Sam Young as a legit NBA player. He was the NBA definition of marginal.
Adams is Dixon's only real NBA success story, and we had him for all of one season. I think it's remarkable that in his 13 years at Pitt, Dixon never had a single guard go to the NBA. You'd think he would've had at least one just by dumb luck.
Anyway, looks like he has one already at TCU. Jaylen Fisher is legit.
