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Post by Gundo on Feb 28, 2015 1:12:36 GMT -8
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Post by Pasadenaztec on Feb 28, 2015 5:55:44 GMT -8
I think I'd call that a long read, instead of a "short read".......it was surprisingly in-depth.
It's anybody's guess what he'll do at the end of the season, but it sure seems like another year in school would benefit him.
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Post by longtimebooster on Feb 28, 2015 5:59:07 GMT -8
Pretty spot-on. I think MP stays one more year. If anything, it would give him more certainty in the draft.
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Post by goaztecs on Feb 28, 2015 6:02:12 GMT -8
Pretty spot-on. I think MP stays one more year. If anything, it would give him more certainty in the draft. +1. Too much unknown about him right now. |
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Post by adammclane on Feb 28, 2015 6:48:05 GMT -8
If he goes crazy in an NCAA game, forget about it, he is gone. But if he is projected in the lottery ever Fisher will tell him it's time.
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Post by Ambivalent_Fan on Feb 28, 2015 7:02:27 GMT -8
Probably the best objective assessment I've read...
MP is the epitome of potential...
I doubt he's NBA ready after this year due to still trying to learn how to play defense at the D1 level (the game only gets faster at the next level)...
I do think that his D has improved 200% since first taking the court back in November...but there is still a long way to go...
On offense, he has shown brilliance at times...but also can get a bit sloppy with lazy passes. I especially like when he leads a fast-break as more often than not the end result turns into a highlight reel moment...
He needs to work on his dribble drives as he has been stripped of the ball on several occasion when driving to the basket (especially from the top of the key...but surprisingly not so much from the baseline).
I truly suspect that he'll end up staying one more year...then watch out...if he continues to progress (which I'm certain he will)...he'll be the first Aztec to be drafted in the top 10...maybe even top 5...
This year is fun...but just wait until next year...(although the team will be losing great experience and talent in JJ, DP2 and AQ...but replacing the them with new guys in ZC, Helmsley, and Buddah...plus maybe a 5th-year big-man transfer like Josh Davis to help shore up the rebounding).
Red and Black forever...
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Post by mySTRAS on Feb 28, 2015 8:00:11 GMT -8
From the comments section:
"Are we absolutely positive that isn't Nerlens Noel trying to get out of Philly?"
That's good stuff!
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Post by aztecwin on Feb 28, 2015 8:46:11 GMT -8
I think he stays one more year. Both his defense and his body need work. Seems like a great kid who should develop.
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Post by OldSlowWhiteBaller on Feb 28, 2015 9:24:19 GMT -8
Another year here should do it for Malik.
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Post by texasaztec on Feb 28, 2015 10:18:36 GMT -8
Here is my analysis. At this point, we all know Pope has NBA talent, but is very, very raw. He is even very raw at the D-1 level. Therefore, any NBA team that drafts Pope will be drafting him for his potential.
For an NBA team here are the positives:
1. Very high ceiling, could possibly be at his best an all-star player.
2. You could get him with a 2nd round pick...these picks are typically thrown to Euro players with experience and potential, or very specific role players to shore up a particular need in the team. Kind of a "why not" draft this guy.
For an NBA team here are the negatives:
1. Paying a salary for a player who is not going to be ready for at minimum 1 year. You are basically drafting Pope 1 year early and eating the kid's salary until he develops.
2. You can't/won't cut him if he doesn't develop as fast as you want, because the whole point of drafting Pope when he is not yet ready is to develop him for the future. This leads to a roster spot on the team being eaten up by someone who can't contribute. This means passing on players (most likely role players) who could help you win now. And it is possible that Pope will take more than 1 year to develop, meaning your team eats that salary and roster spot for possibly 2 years.
This kind of a move might make sense for a team like the Knicks who are basically rebuilding from the ground floor up and are not under any serious pressure to win now.
I think if Pope declares for the draft there is a good chance that he gets picked up in the second round. But a team who drafts Pope will keep him around and not cut him for a minimum of 2 years while he develops.
Therefore, the question for Pope becomes should I stay at SDSU and develop or should I declare and go to the Big Leagues? I believe, everything else being equal, it will come down to a financial decision.
Let's take the highest draft position anyone has him in (16 by Chad Ford..by the way, Draft Express has him at 30 and Sam Vecenie/CBS Sports has him at 76) and calculate the salary for this position, which was $1,478,900 from the 2014/2015 draft). Compare that to the #5 position in the draft which was $3,012,500. I believe if we give Pope best case scenario in both drafts (go #16 this year or wait a year and go #5) that is a fair way to determine the financial impact of staying verses going. Basically, Pope breaks even if he stays or if he goes if these are the true numbers and we look at the first year only.
However, if he doesn't go #16, but goes #30 which is paid at $911,000 then he loses on his first year $500,000 by declaring early. Now, if you factor in a 3 year contract, which is certainly what an NBA team would do because they are drafting on potential, then Pope loses a lot more by going early. He actually loses stupid amounts of money by declaring early, even if you give him best case scenario.
Here are the numbers for a three year contract for best case scenario #16 draft this year, verses #5 next year:
#16 - Year 1 = $1,468,900, Year 2 = $1,535,000, Year 3 = $1,601,100. Total = $4,605,000.
Wait a year costs Pope $1,468,900 for playing at SDSU verses sitting on the bench for an NBA team, then...
#5 - Year 1 = $3,012,500, Year 2 = $3,148,100, Year 3 = $3, 283,600. Total = $9,444,200. When you subtract the money he would have made by declaring early this is what it comes out to $7,975,300.
The bottom line is this. If Pope declares early, even in the best case scenario, he will lose about $3,375,000.
Thus, I see Pope staying at SDSU for 1 more year, developing his defense, gaining strength, sharpening his basketball IQ and becoming a human highlight reel...all of which will push him up the draft charts for a lottery pick next year. Pope made the perfect decision when he decided to come to SDSU as Fisher and the coaching staff will develop him very nicely for the NBA.
At least that is my prediction.
Go Aztecs!
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Post by mySTRAS on Feb 28, 2015 10:56:27 GMT -8
Here is my analysis. At this point, we all know Pope has NBA talent, but is very, very raw. He is even very raw at the D-1 level. Therefore, any NBA team that drafts Pope will be drafting him for his potential. For an NBA team here are the positives: 1. Very high ceiling, could possibly be at his best an all-star player. 2. You could get him with a 2nd round pick...these picks are typically thrown to Euro players with experience and potential, or very specific role players to shore up a particular need in the team. Kind of a "why not" draft this guy. For an NBA team here are the negatives: 1. Paying a salary for a player who is not going to be ready for at minimum 1 year. You are basically drafting Pope 1 year early and eating the kid's salary until he develops. 2. You can't/won't cut him if he doesn't develop as fast as you want, because the whole point of drafting Pope when he is not yet ready is to develop him for the future. This leads to a roster spot on the team being eaten up by someone who can't contribute. This means passing on players (most likely role players) who could help you win now. And it is possible that Pope will take more than 1 year to develop, meaning your team eats that salary and roster spot for possibly 2 years. This kind of a move might make sense for a team like the Knicks who are basically rebuilding from the ground floor up and are not under any serious pressure to win now. I think if Pope declares for the draft there is a good chance that he gets picked up in the second round. But a team who drafts Pope will keep him around and not cut him for a minimum of 2 years while he develops. Therefore, the question for Pope becomes should I stay at SDSU and develop or should I declare and go to the Big Leagues? I believe, everything else being equal, it will come down to a financial decision. Let's take the highest draft position anyone has him in (16 by Chad Ford..by the way, Draft Express has him at 30 and Sam Vecenie/CBS Sports has him at 76) and calculate the salary for this position, which was $1,478,900 from the 2014/2015 draft). Compare that to the #5 position in the draft which was $3,012,500. I believe if we give Pope best case scenario in both drafts (go #16 this year or wait a year and go #5) that is a fair way to determine the financial impact of staying verses going. Basically, Pope breaks even if he stays or if he goes if these are the true numbers and we look at the first year only. However, if he doesn't go #16, but goes #30 which is paid at $911,000 then he loses on his first year $500,000 by declaring early. Now, if you factor in a 3 year contract, which is certainly what an NBA team would do because they are drafting on potential, then Pope loses a lot more by going early. He actually loses stupid amounts of money by declaring early, even if you give him best case scenario. Here are the numbers for a three year contract for best case scenario #16 draft this year, verses #5 next year: #16 - Year 1 = $1,468,900, Year 2 = $1,535,000, Year 3 = $1,601,100. Total = $4,605,000. Wait a year costs Pope $1,468,900 for playing at SDSU verses sitting on the bench for an NBA team, then... #5 - Year 1 = $3,012,500, Year 2 = $3,148,100, Year 3 = $3, 283,600. Total = $9,444,200. When you subtract the money he would have made by declaring early this is what it comes out to $7,975,300. The bottom line is this. If Pope declares early, even in the best case scenario, he will lose about $3,375,000. Thus, I see Pope staying at SDSU for 1 more year, developing his defense, gaining strength, sharpening his basketball IQ and becoming a human highlight reel...all of which will push him up the draft charts for a lottery pick next year. Pope made the perfect decision when he decided to come to SDSU as Fisher and the coaching staff will develop him very nicely for the NBA. At least that is my prediction. Go Aztecs! Malik, unfortunately, has to weigh the odds of future injury (especially if stays in school) vs. 'just' $$$. |
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Post by fisherville on Feb 28, 2015 11:02:50 GMT -8
If pope is really projected to go in middle of first round he should leave, however I highly doubt he is. The most reputable draft site there is (draftexpress) has him ranked 28th amongst all freshman in draft prospects, and project him as the 30th pick next year.
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Post by aztecking on Feb 28, 2015 11:07:25 GMT -8
Here is my analysis. At this point, we all know Pope has NBA talent, but is very, very raw. He is even very raw at the D-1 level. Therefore, any NBA team that drafts Pope will be drafting him for his potential. For an NBA team here are the positives: 1. Very high ceiling, could possibly be at his best an all-star player. 2. You could get him with a 2nd round pick...these picks are typically thrown to Euro players with experience and potential, or very specific role players to shore up a particular need in the team. Kind of a "why not" draft this guy. For an NBA team here are the negatives: 1. Paying a salary for a player who is not going to be ready for at minimum 1 year. You are basically drafting Pope 1 year early and eating the kid's salary until he develops. 2. You can't/won't cut him if he doesn't develop as fast as you want, because the whole point of drafting Pope when he is not yet ready is to develop him for the future. This leads to a roster spot on the team being eaten up by someone who can't contribute. This means passing on players (most likely role players) who could help you win now. And it is possible that Pope will take more than 1 year to develop, meaning your team eats that salary and roster spot for possibly 2 years. This kind of a move might make sense for a team like the Knicks who are basically rebuilding from the ground floor up and are not under any serious pressure to win now. I think if Pope declares for the draft there is a good chance that he gets picked up in the second round. But a team who drafts Pope will keep him around and not cut him for a minimum of 2 years while he develops. Therefore, the question for Pope becomes should I stay at SDSU and develop or should I declare and go to the Big Leagues? I believe, everything else being equal, it will come down to a financial decision. Let's take the highest draft position anyone has him in (16 by Chad Ford..by the way, Draft Express has him at 30 and Sam Vecenie/CBS Sports has him at 76) and calculate the salary for this position, which was $1,478,900 from the 2014/2015 draft). Compare that to the #5 position in the draft which was $3,012,500. I believe if we give Pope best case scenario in both drafts (go #16 this year or wait a year and go #5) that is a fair way to determine the financial impact of staying verses going. Basically, Pope breaks even if he stays or if he goes if these are the true numbers and we look at the first year only. However, if he doesn't go #16, but goes #30 which is paid at $911,000 then he loses on his first year $500,000 by declaring early. Now, if you factor in a 3 year contract, which is certainly what an NBA team would do because they are drafting on potential, then Pope loses a lot more by going early. He actually loses stupid amounts of money by declaring early, even if you give him best case scenario. Here are the numbers for a three year contract for best case scenario #16 draft this year, verses #5 next year: #16 - Year 1 = $1,468,900, Year 2 = $1,535,000, Year 3 = $1,601,100. Total = $4,605,000. Wait a year costs Pope $1,468,900 for playing at SDSU verses sitting on the bench for an NBA team, then... #5 - Year 1 = $3,012,500, Year 2 = $3,148,100, Year 3 = $3, 283,600. Total = $9,444,200. When you subtract the money he would have made by declaring early this is what it comes out to $7,975,300. The bottom line is this. If Pope declares early, even in the best case scenario, he will lose about $3,375,000. Thus, I see Pope staying at SDSU for 1 more year, developing his defense, gaining strength, sharpening his basketball IQ and becoming a human highlight reel...all of which will push him up the draft charts for a lottery pick next year. Pope made the perfect decision when he decided to come to SDSU as Fisher and the coaching staff will develop him very nicely for the NBA. At least that is my prediction. Go Aztecs! This analysis completely ignores the fact that stating an extra year doesn't guarantee that he will improve his draft position. Also, he has been very injury prone in the past. So if he stays and gets injured that will ruin his draft prospects. |
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Post by uncledougy on Feb 28, 2015 11:21:12 GMT -8
I don't see an NBA team drafting a guy this early with so many question marks. Is he durable? Remember he has only played a handful of minutes in the last 3 years!
If things keep going the way we all think it will go, Malik could hear his name called in the 2016 draft, but most likely 2017.
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Post by ctap13 on Feb 28, 2015 11:26:42 GMT -8
Fisher has handled him poorly. He has completely wasted him on the bench the season and he will go to the NBA next season. The guy is averaging only 18 minutes a game which is ridiculous. People bring up his lack of defense it does not matter the guy is a machine offensively. Absolutely amazing the coach Fisher cannot design any plays for him at all. Never seen offense but has no set plays for anybody.
I love Coach Fisher, but he needs to step his game up on the offense of side of the ball. Get all this great athletic talent, but he will not let them play to their capabilities. It's called micromanagement on the offensive side.
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Post by missiontrails on Feb 28, 2015 11:31:44 GMT -8
Fisher has handled him poorly. He has completely wasted him on the bench the season and he will go to the NBA next season. The guy is averaging only 18 minutes a game which is ridiculous. People bring up his lack of defense it does not matter the guy is a machine offensively. Absolutely amazing the coach Fisher cannot design any plays for him at all. Never seen offense but has no set plays for anybody. I love Coach Fisher, but he needs to step his game up on the offense of side of the ball. Get all this great athletic talent, but he will not let them play to their capabilities. It's called micromanagement on the offensive side. He's getting more minutes as the season progresses, after coming off two serious injuries. There's nothing wrong with the way Fisher is handling him. |
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Post by ctap13 on Feb 28, 2015 11:45:56 GMT -8
Bs! We have wasted him all season even when he plays with no set place for him at all. The guy is going to go to the NBA any Hardly plays for us. If you was on another good team they would be running a set place for him all the time. Coach Fisher really needs to work on getting an offense!
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Post by heuschele on Feb 28, 2015 11:46:12 GMT -8
Fisher has handled him poorly. He has completely wasted him on the bench the season and he will go to the NBA next season. The guy is averaging only 18 minutes a game which is ridiculous. People bring up his lack of defense it does not matter the guy is a machine offensively. Absolutely amazing the coach Fisher cannot design any plays for him at all. Never seen offense but has no set plays for anybody. I love Coach Fisher, but he needs to step his game up on the offense of side of the ball. Get all this great athletic talent, but he will not let them play to their capabilities. It's called micromanagement on the offensive side. Fisher brought him along slowly due where he was at after basically not playing basketball for 2 years as well as to reduce chance of injury and build confidence. I continue to believe Fisher has brought him along perfectly. |
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Post by fisherville on Feb 28, 2015 11:56:39 GMT -8
Bs! We have wasted him all season even when he plays with no set place for him at all. The guy is going to go to the NBA any Hardly plays for us. If you was on another good team they would be running a set place for him all the time. Coach Fisher really needs to work on getting an offense! The offense has been very good over the last 10 games. |
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Post by ourtime on Feb 28, 2015 12:00:51 GMT -8
Bs! We have wasted him all season even when he plays with no set place for him at all. The guy is going to go to the NBA any Hardly plays for us. If you was on another good team they would be running a set place for him all the time. Coach Fisher really needs to work on getting an offense! As this article correctly points out Malik gets lost on D a lot, in other words most of the time Malik is giving up more than he puts in. Fishers job is to win games and put players in the best position to accomplish this, he has 12 other guys on the team to account for as well. This isn't a developmental league, where an entire season is committed to improving one guy. Fisher has done an excellent job with the way he's handled Pope. |
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