Mackenzie Mgbako - 5* '23 PF with range back on the market
Asked for a release from his NLI from Duke, presumably due to Filipowski coming back. We have a boatload of NIL money looking for a new home and a gaping hole at the 4. I assume there is no chance, but it sure would be nice....
Hey, I like your dream.
Would be great!
Go Blue!!
What was his name?
Mgobako?!!!!
Yeah, this sucks.
I don't know if I will get used to this college basketball.
The Supreme Court stamp on NIL finalized a major change in the college landscape but anyone not thinking that the demise of the last vestiges of amateurism would be without consequences was wearing blinders.
At this point, it's the best club somebody can buy. There are still tangibles such as coaching and facilities and ultimately how much the Universities will be able to pay players (a big Michigan advantage due to the size of the Stadium and the fan base assuming our regents get out of the way.)
The Three Laws of Finance
- Get the cash
- Get the cash
- Get the cash
Somehow, these High School kids inanely get this…
April 11th, 2023 at 11:53 PM ^
*Innately
Except that this probably isn’t about NIL at all, but about the fact that Filipowski unexpectedly is staying in school, so that the 4 spot isn’t open. So he’s going to find a school where he can start.
If this were about NIL, Duke would pay up. They’ve been paying top dollar for a long, long time.
Except the post I was replying to was about the new landscape of college athletics.
So no one ever decommitted or transferred for playing time before now? Interesting.
At least we offered, so there’s that…
He should come and join the board as MgoMgbako.
You're killing me smalls 😭
So have we or haven't we learned our lesson with 5*'s/one-and-dones?
(made mistake) -1
Yeah, you're probably right......but I still want him! Can't resist the stars!
April 11th, 2023 at 10:01 PM ^
My god, it's full of stars....
April 11th, 2023 at 10:34 PM ^
Would probably still be more impactful than any 1 year grad transfer were going to find in the portal.
free agency is what drove me away from professional sports as I got older. I'm not sure how all of this will play out for me going forward.
I know i will get a lot of 'good riddance' or 'your not a fan, leave' posts. But i have watched less Michigan basketball this last year than i have since .... very early 80's i would say. I am becoming more and more and more disinterested with each free agent year. Teams are turning over after 1 year. You land a super athletic athlete 5 star that you are extremely excited about, they learn/suck for a year, then leave before you even see the fruits of labor.
And then there is the rage of our coach. And the mismanagement of timeouts, substitutions and general clock management from our coach.
I am barely sticking in there in regards to Michigan basketball.
"Rage" lol. That's the student section.
Mismanagement of timeouts is why I will no longer watch my wife parent our kids. It's infuriating to see. I'm with you 100%.
Thoughts and prayers.
Just terrible people getting to choose where they work.
To counter your “free agency” comment, I was surprised to find out that the last ‘something-teen’ first round picks have been Freshmen. I thought the NBA wound take a seasoned vet, but no - they take the hot talent.
So, that leaves a sophomore to jump to the portal to showcase his “obviously excellent” talents elsewhere. Essentially he’s a free agent.
Different than baseball were there is a contract that expires to prompt the free agent status.
Free agent in baseball is a natural next step to an expired contract.
I thought the NBA wound take a seasoned vet,
Have you watched an NBA Draft in this century?
The salary cap math makes it rather advantageous to take bets on rookies. You can get quality production for cheap. Even the top draft picks only make around $10 million. In the best case scenario, you have situations like Luka Doncic who made All-NBA first team three times while still on his rookie deal. Only this year did he go onto a negotiated contract ($37 million).
Jordan Poole only made $2 million last year and will make $4 million this year. He's scoring 20 points a game. He won't make market rate until next season ($29 million).
Why not take a bet on a Kobe Bufkin? He may not be a day one starter, but if he at all becomes a contributor on his rookie contract you're way ahead as a franchise. And then you get first dibs on signing him to a contract extension that will last into his prime.
Strong Mich/Juwan supporter here.I find it maddening,ironic and semi-comical that we have a half dozen or so 4's and not a damn one of em is a sure fire starter.
I think Khayat will be. I watched him exclusively the final game. With each possession you could see him gain his confidence. He can play and will surprise most here.
April 11th, 2023 at 11:29 PM ^
Khayyat’s skill set seems much more suited to the 3.
The 3??? We are in trouble if he is a 3. That’s a 4 all the way.
In all seriousness I think the NCAA has got to consider putting some limitations on the transfer portal because we've gone from almost no player freedoms to "who the hell are those guys out there" in record time.
And I cant help but wonder a bit as to why seemingly everyone is unhappy with their lot. You have starters who anchor their team transferring like Hunter, everyday players, role players, bench players, what seems to be every player looking for greener grass someplace else.
It would be interesting survey if someone took the time to interview all the players in the portal to find out what their #1 reason was for wanting to change schools. My hunch would be that what you'd see is a whole lot of players who've been promised super-stardom and when it doesnt materialize right away they blame the school, not themselves.
Grass is always greener syndrome.
I agree that this landscape is ruining what a lot of us loved about college hoops, which is that you get to know players and see them develop and grow over time in a way that's not comparable to the pros.
However, I think it's the fans who should adjust in this situation, and maybe adjust to the fact that in order to be most fair to the players, who are the ones actually affected by these rules, the game will just be worse.
The idea that college kid A can transfer schools as they please, but kid B has to sit out a central campus activity (intercollegiate athletics) during their prime athletic years because of reasons I genuinely can't figure out, has never sat well with me.
It's really just more fair to the players to allow them to transfer freely; I can't think of a reason that would justifiably limit this freedom apart from fan service and investment security for boosters. Previously, it was a restricted landscape where major athletes had functionally less freedom than fellow students.
I'm interested to hear if folks have or know of ideas that would be functional compromises that are fairer to the players.
I definitely agree that the players should be free to transfer but it won't change the fact that fans will lose interest because they don't get to know the team. I watched through the Ellerbe and Amaker years and most of this year but it wasn't the same this year. My YTTV subscription expired before the season was over and it wasn't worth the $70 to me for another month.
I'm out of town a lot because of work. Depending on how long I'm gone I will stop my YTTV subscription and start it later.
I was going to start it again during basketball but the way they were playing I decided not to. I went to see two games at local bars. Of course they blew both of them in the final seconds.
Hope Juwan's new players will make the team better. Time will tell.
I wont pretend to have the answer and I agree that the players should have far greater freedoms to move than the bad old days, but maybe there's a middle ground. What about requiring a player to stay two years at a school unless they go pro or their's a head coaching change. Meaning that freshman wouldnt be eligible for transfer until they've completed their sophomore year unless the HC leave/gets fired OR they're good enough to go pro. At least that would slow down the annual exodus for "greener pastures" and would make the player think long and hard before selecting their initial school.
That's just off the top of my head and I'm sure there's a million reasons why it cant work but damn, they have to do something. If not fans & students will be looking at teams they dont recognize and we'll be treated to final fours like this year's on the regular.
It's a good idea, the trouble is that I just don't see how one can ethically justify making changes that limit the freedoms of college athletes for the sole benefit of fans. It's a school activity that just happened to have perversely been co-opted as a billion dollar enterprise, built on mostly free labor. It's like saying a kid can't transfer because they're in glee club, makes no sense.
I do think the post below by NeverPunt is probably true that the sheer volume of the transfer portal will decrease over time, as standards and practices are established and things normalize. But yeah, unfortunately I agree with your final thought that the horizon looks a lot more like it will be closer to this year than tournaments in the past.
I share your frustration. I'm just an armchair analyst without a law degree, but I suspect that NIL represents a safety valve/least-worst gambit by the universities (through the NCAA) to avoid designating athletes as employees -- with the consequent contracting, collective bargaining rights, revenue-sharing, anti-trust exemption, etc. implications they are apparently desperate to avoid.
I would much rather the athletes became university employees, with contractual obligations (on both sides), which would still allow for transfers (subject to negotiation) as well as roster limits, salary caps, etc. to keep the playing field level. NIL would then become a side hustle -- which is what it should be -- rather than the main driver of the market.
It's funny watching all these old "you play for the name on the front of the jersey" folks go crazy over the portal.
Tells me that was absolute bullshit then and continues to be today.
Michigan isn't going anywhere. The name on the front is there. But people are saying college basketball sucks because of the transfers. Make it make sense.
Me? I never bought the front of the jersey nonsense...it's always been about PLAYERS. And now that I can't keep track of them, heck yeah, it sucks. These days I wish I only cared about the jersey.
That is different than my take. It's definitely about the jersey. I really do not have much interest in what DDJ is doing after he transfers or how Frankie was playing after he left (and any little bit of curiosity is only due to their time at Michigan). So I assume you continue to watch these players after they transfer out?
I didn't say it was your take.
I wasn't talking about you in particular...if anyone I was talking about MGrowOld.
April 11th, 2023 at 11:18 PM ^
Except i said none of those things. I mean if you’re going to take a shot at me, at least have the courtesy of criticizing things i actually said.
The limitations are school admissions. The NCAA is feckless and toothless, so I wouldn't expect it to taunt Kavanaugh by trying to impose any restrictions on where players can enroll for school.
As a tech worker, it's interesting to see the same job-hop-for-raises phenomenon develop. The teams that stick together tend to have a bigger impact (you know, actually winning), but the free agents make a lot more in the near/medium-term.
I think it will simmer down over time - there's been too many variable changing too quickly right now but at some point the dust will settle and some things will be rebalanced a bit. I think the portal and ready transfers are here to stay of course but with the progression of time I think you'll see roster stabilize a bit and changes become a little more thoughtful for the average player. Right now you have guys leaving for a pay day, leaving for playing time, leaving for championships, leaving for a bad day at practice - it's a little nutso. But have patience - i think we will see the pendulum swing back a little.
Needs to go back to sitting one year.
Heaven forbid an individual be taught to persevere and honor a commitment. The only time a player should be allowed to transfer IMO is when a head coach leaves, but then that opens up the conversation about coaching "contracts"...if coaches don't honor their commitments then that should allow a student to transfer penalty free. Making a soft generation softer....Beilein saw it all coming....
Hopefully you have the same thinking in your own line of work. I would hate for you to leave for a better opportunity with more pay instead of persevering at your current job waiting for your employer to hook you up.
Been working for pennies for 25 years at the same public school I once attended. I have indeed passed up better opportunities so I can help give the youth the same positive life changing experience I once had. I hope I have impacted a few. I am loyal and not guided by money, but rather by a sense of obligation to serve.
You are rare indeed. Knowing how much I enjoyed our schools wrestling coach (I didnt wrestle but I shouldve) you name does check out.