Not to overemphasize the point or anything, but today we find out if the Buffs will compete for the inaugural Pac-12 crown. At 2pm this afternoon Alec Burks will make his NBA decision known, ending weeks of speculation throughout Buff Nation. CUBuffs.com will carry his press conference live, and I'm sure the whole of Buff-related interwebs will explode with the result if you can't stream at work.
For the record, I can't believe that Alec's decision will be anything other than to declare himself for the draft. With the recent rash of high profile players deciding to stay in school, and if the impending NBA lockout truly doesn't play into his decision, then there's no basketball-related reason for Alec to stay off of a draft board that he will invariably shoot up. As the best SG prospect in a quickly shrinking draft, the kid should go pro.
The allure of another year in college, with friends, girls, and Boulder to entertain, may be strong, but I continue to maintain that the best CU basketball star of the past 14 years needs to make the jump. I'll be blown off my chair if he hasn't reached the same conclusion.
2 comments:
Agreed. Highly unlikely he would choose to stay. And nobody should take that as an insult either. He's a great talent, best we've seen in a while, and he should move forward with his career if there is an opportunity.
I think the momentum he built in this program will last for a while, and if Tad can keep the coaching coming, this team will be a contender either way.
All along I've seen his impending NBA decision as a positive thing. Just seeing "Colorado" on his profile in all of the draft lead-up will help spread the word that CU isn't a hoops black hole, and that talent can shine here. Should he play to the level that most expect, that impact will be only intensified. Hell, if he ends up with a team like Milwaukee, like NBADraft.net is predicting, he'll probably make the playoff in his first season.
At the very least, we should get a nice mention on ESPN this afternoon.
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The variables involved in replacing the massive minutes and production that we're losing will keep me from predicting any Pac-12 title contention should Burks leave. There's just not enough time for a whole new starting 5 to gel in order to consistently compete at a high level. Mid-table is much more likely.
That's not to say the cupboard is bare, however. The style of play is entertaining, and recruiting looks to be improving. Of all the CU sports programs involving balls, the basketball team has to have the brightest future at this moment.
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