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Poeltl coming back next year!

jazzman12 said:
Wright was possibly a 2nd round pick prior to last season, after returning, he's improved his stock to late teens, early 20's pick.

Jakob is still a very raw 19 year old that finished strong, but failed to have the same impact game in and game out. He can benefit from another year playing under a coach that develope big men.

How very selfish of Larry.
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Big difference between a 2nd and where Poeltl was projected. As a Ute fan, I'm glad he's staying, but he's gambling on not getting injured with millions of dollars. Stupid bet, and anyone who advised him it was a smart move was definitely not giving him good advice. Obviously we don't know what kind of advice Larry gave him, and I believe most coaches would give their players an honest assessment of the pros and cons, but these kids have lots of people in their ear who have the best interest of the college in mind when advising them to gamble on losing out on the chance of a lifetime.
 
green said:
Utah will be a better team next year. Delon was incredible but this team will be very talented and experienced. Also, Larry's K's ability to develop big men will be huge. Here's my projected lineup/rotation:

Wright/Taylor
Taylor/Tucker
Chapman/Loveridge
Reyes/Kuzma
Poeltl/Olsen

We are two deep everywhere. We did lose Delon, but we will have a much better Poeltl, Chapman and Kuzma. Two 4 star kids and a possible top 5 NBA pick.
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A team that can't create their own shots losing the only guy that got them shots. They will not be better unless Chapman makes some huge strides.
 
freakazoid said:
Big difference between a 2nd and where Poeltl was projected. As a Ute fan, I'm glad he's staying, but he's gambling on not getting injured with millions of dollars. Stupid bet, and anyone who advised him it was a smart move was definitely not giving him good advice. Obviously we don't know what kind of advice Larry gave him, and I believe most coaches would give their players an honest assessment of the pros and cons, but these kids have lots of people in their ear who have the best interest of the college in mind when advising them to gamble on losing out on the chance of a lifetime.
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The flip side to that argument is the fact that we've seen so many raw, unrefined, big men make a premature jump to the NBA thanks to the old adage: "You can't coach size". I've always been of the opinion that rawer prospects are better off refining their game at the college level as opposed to trying to learn from the bench in the NBA.
 
Wright/Taylor
Taylor/Tucker
Chapman/Loveridge
Reyes/Kuzma
Poeltl/Olsen

We are two deep everywhere. We did lose Delon, but we will have a much better Poeltl, Chapman and Kuzma. Two 4 star kids and a possible top 5 NBA pick.
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Is Chapman really a 3? I know he's a wuss in the post, so you probably don't want him hanging around the basket, but that's not enough of a qualifying skillset to play the 3.
 
Duck Rodgers said:
Is Chapman really a 3? I know he's a wuss in the post, so you probably don't want him hanging around the basket, but that's not enough of a qualifying skillset to play the 3.
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The kid was a rail thin true freshman. "Wuss" is a little harsh, but not surprising considering the source. At 6'9", I think he's better suited at the 4 so we'll see if he can start to add some muscle on that frame and not be such a wuss. However, his shooting range and athleticism should allow for him to get some minutes at the 3 if need be.
 
Duck Rodgers said:
Is Chapman really a 3? I know he's a wuss in the post, so you probably don't want him hanging around the basket, but that's not enough of a qualifying skillset to play the 3.
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I'd argue that Chapman has more potential at the three than Loveridge. Chapman has a very nice shot. Plus, you have Kuzma and Reyes at the 4 spot. Finally, if Chapman can improve his handle a little, he could be a better three than Loveridge. Also, Chapman at the three helps with length.

Utah also has Maiwen and Bealer coming in, who they are very high on. Some are saying Bealer will start at the two for Utah.

Whether Utah progresses from a top 15 team to a top 5 team will come down to two things:

Can Wright or Taylor improve their ball handling and can Utah improve their rebounding. If the answer is yes, this could easily be a final four team. If not, then we will see a repeat of last year.
 
jazzman12 said:
The flip side to that argument is the fact that we've seen so many raw, unrefined, big men make a premature jump to the NBA thanks to the old adage: "You can't coach size". I've always been of the opinion that rawer prospects are better off refining their game at the college level as opposed to trying to learn from the bench in the NBA.
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And if he gets injured and misses the opportunity of a lifetime, I'm sure he'll be comforted by the fact he might have had more minutes to develop at the college level. Meanwhile, he can spend the next twenty to fifty years trying to make the amount of money he passed on. If only the NBA had a development system set up so rookies don't rot on the bench.

WhiskyPriest said:
Probably a smart move, I would imagine the rookie salaries will jump up substantially next year.
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Incorrect. Rookie salaries are set by the CBA and won't change with the jump in the cap.
 
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Yeah, rookie salaries aren't going to jump that much ever, even with a new CBA. Who is there to represent rookie interest in a negotiations?
 
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