Update #2: It’s official. Wright is putting his name in the draft BUT is not hiring an agent, at least not yet anyway. Roy said it was likely he would not withdraw.
Update: UNC has scheduled a 4 PM press conference for today to announce Wright’s intentions.
According to Draft Expess the announcement will be made on Monday.
North Carolina freshman Brandan Wright will be announcing his intentions to enter the NBA draft on Monday, multiple sources told DraftExpress Saturday evening.
Wright had been going back and forth on whether to declare or not for the past few weeks, but finally decided to put his name in the draft after meeting with Roy Williams this weekend and being urged by the North Carolina head coach himself to not pass up the opportunity of being a top 5 pick.
Wright’s next move will be to hire an agent.
Of course this surprises absolutey no one and we wish Brandan Wright all the best heading into the NBA and thank him for his contributions this season.
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We here in the ACC seem to be the only people that know who B. Wright is. When watching ESPN and potential draft candidates, Wright did not come out. Oden, Durant, Hibbert, Conley, Jeff Greene, Noah were a few of the names that they had listed in the top 10. No mention of Brandan Wright. This leads me to believe that no one knows who he is outside of the ACC. Understandibly so, since we got kicked out of the elite 8, he did not have the chance to shine. If he has no “household name” power, he should stay and hope to have more media coverage next year. He will get no endorsements right now. I wouldn’t pay someone to advertise my product if no one knows who the endorsee is. Everyone knows Oden, Conley, Noah and Durant. Who is Brandan Wright?
This from an indirect quote from all the major sports media.
excellent point Josh–I’ve noticed that too. For the life of me, I, don’t see how it’s become such a forgone conclusion in so many minds.
I appreciate that BigGame. I know a lot of my points regarding Brandan come from wishful thinking. If I was real “high” on our peremiter game it might not bother me so much him leaving. It has been our inside dominance that has taken us this far, and I hate to lose any aspect of that. I just hope that Brandan will consider all of the options and what they hold. Just one more successful Carolina year capped with a final 4 finish, and Brandan being a big part of it could result in “name recognition” and big endorsement deals for him. It is not always “what you can get now”, sometimes patience pays off. In Brandan’s situation, I think it could, significantly!
I talked with a friend who knew some people connected with the team. Wright is going pro.
In essence you are talking about risk/reward and the risk of injury or some other problem which could tank his stock outweighs a consideration of coming back.
I tell you what could tank his stock as well as an injury, and that is going pro too immenently. What is the percentage of players that get injured prior to going pro that stood a chance at a pro career? Now, what is the percentage of players that go pro and do not develop and get a second contract-along with endorsements, that would have had they stayed in college one more year? You guessed it! Injuries happen a lot less than underdeveloped collegiate players that go on to get one contract in the NBA and are done for afterwards. I simply do not buy into the injury philosophy. Now someone like Durant or Oden should go. They will get the maximum amount you can get contract wise and endorsement wise. That is simply not the case for Brandon. Brandon stands a better chance of being one and done in the nba more so that an injury. One and done meaning contract.
I would agree that he would only be better a year from now, but the area you are talking about is so abstract and unknown at this point I am not sure you can enter it into the equation. The percentage of injury is probably lower than the percentage of players who fail to attain a huge second contract. However the percentage that he will be a top five pick is higher than both, probably by a long way and that is what drives this decision. Anything that happens beyond the immediate is speculation and dependent upon so many factors I am not sure it can be considered in this decision.
I tell you THF, I am not confident he will be a top5 pick. I hope he is. At least from the perspectives from sports insiders/commentators, they do not even mention his name when top 5 discussions take place. They talk about Oden/Durant/Hibbert/Green/Noah/Conley Jr./and the other power forward for Florida. Now at least to me I think that is bad judgement. I do see Wright being as dominant as these guys in the next level. THF, lets have a discussion about future recruits for Carolina over the next few years. It is looking good for Ohio State and Duke, and not so good for us. We will need a forward!! We need another Reyshawn Terry. I know, I know we have Danny Green. But he is more like a guard, we need a big strong slasher and shooter like Reyshawn was. Hansbrough/Thompson will take care of paint. Green/Ginyard/Lawson/Ellington will take care of perimeter. We need a Kenyon Martin, a Brian Reese. Power guys that can shoot.
Well if we can get guys like Delvon Roe to stop leading us on before dumping us at the altar we might get there. I understood the zero recruit thing this season but the class of 2008 needs to bring in three legitimate players on top of the role guys you usually get. Roe screwed us and that is according to Eddy Landreth in the Chapel Hill News who basically said Roe lied to Roy on numerous occasions before opting to stay closer to home. The issue for Roy is the way he recruits if he does not land target #1 he is in a scrambling position for the next target who might be less than inclined if they know they were #2 to begin with.
Here is the article…worth a read:
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/107/story/6793.html
Also, Top 5 discussions you might be seeing may be based on confirmed entrants. One Wright enters his name he will get included on those discussions.
Wright’s entering the draft is so disappointing. All the reasons revolve around money and fame. How ’bout college as an experience in growing up, in becoming a better human being? Guess Wright and Coach Williams don’t think that is important. As a Carolina grad, I’ve watched them come and go. The superficiality (to me) of the decisions made by those who leave early (and with Wright it should be called “REAL” early, is so disappointing. Even in terms of basketball alone, I certainly feel he would benefit greatly by sticking around - in skills, maturity, and the like. Maybe not in terms of draft ranking or money, but that’s not as high on my list as it seems to be on Wright’s list.
“Even in terms of basketball alone, I certainly feel he would benefit greatly by sticking around - in skills, maturity, and the like. Maybe not in terms of draft ranking or money, but that’s not as high on my list as it seems to be on Wright’s list.”
It is pretty freaking easy for all of us to sit here without the opportunity he has in front of him and say that money is not as high on our list as other things. It is a winning lottery ticket. How many of us after a freshman year in college if offered a lucrative contract to go and do something we love would turn it down? IYes the college experience is great, I thoroughly enjoyed mine, but given the financial security he can offer his family and the fact it is certain he will be in the top five I can see why he would go. He could do better next season but why takes points of the scoreboard?
The only thing he will miss a shot at is winning a national title and even that is about a 20-25% proposition. I have no problem with him going to the pros, it’s his life and as much as I would like to think I would stay I know that having that kind of money to secure your family is hard to pass up.
Well said, THF. I love UNC and Chapel Hill, and have two children going there now. It’s been a wonderful experience for them. However, if someone came along and offered my son 2.9 million a year for 3 years, and then who knows what after that he’d be gone in a millisecond.
THF,
I really don’t understand your point. Did it hurt Tim Duncan financially and in his career to play four years at Wake Forest? One of the players who left school during his tenure, Joe Smith, is a journeyman benchwarmer while Duncan is an NBA All-Star.
Ask Marvin Williams if leaving UNC early was worth it. Yes, he was the 2nd pick in the NBA Draft. But, I guarantee you he would be a better NBA player right now if he had stayed at Carolina and developed not only his body, but his game. It would have also benefitted him more starting at Carolina rather than riding the bench with the Atlanta Hawks.
You talk about the guaranteed money the first three years and that is all fine and dandy. But, the “REAL” money is made in the second contract. It is better “LONG” term to go into your first contract as ready as possible, so as to impress those first 3 years, so you can get the big contract or the big free-agent market signing. Hence, the reason Duncan is a perennial All-Star and we all ask ourselves whatever happened to Joe Smith.
The fact of the matter is, only a “SELECT” few become stars after leaving school after only 1 year in college or none when High School players could join.
The only consistent stars I can think of are: Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Lebron James.
The list of busts: Kwame Brown, Deshawn Stephenson, J.R. Smith, William Avery. Far more don’t succeed rather than succeed.
Brandan Wright needs to develop his strength and his work ethic. Which is much easier to work on and learn under Roy Williams rather than at the NBA level.
He would have far more chance to make more money by staying in school than leaving. Plus, if he leaves next season, he is probably the No. 1 or No. 2 pick in the draft. This season he’s guaranteed to be out of the Top 5.
Here is the problem. That is all hypothetical whereas his status at present is less so. You will get no argument from me in terms of whether he is better of in school versus going now. Obviously he would be a better player if he stayed but my analysis has to do with what is driving the decision to go now rather than a year from now. The driving force here is the fact he will be a high pick with some financial security attached to it.
Everything else is speculative.
thanks for a great season! good luck in the nba….
THF,
When did the NBA Draft move from picking players based on performance to drafting based on “POTENTIAL.”
That is and is why the product of the NBA has gone downhill since the retirements of Bird, Magic, Sir Charles, Ewing and Jordan.
The NBA is now full of guys who can’t shoot a midrange jumper to save their lives.
That being said, the NBA is the one driving this thing. I don’t fault Brandan Wright from going pro if he wants to.
All I’m saying is, saying he won’t earn money if doesn’t go now is a crock. And I’m saying if uses college to perfect and work on his game is has a BETTER chance of EARNING more money in the long run.
chuckheel,
I cannot tell you when it happened, perhaps when Kevin Garnett and those guys started coming out of high school, but I know that is how the game is played now. The fault lies with the GMs who are so afraid they are going to miss on the next MJ or LeBron that they will take these guys on potential which puts a ton of pressure on them and leads to busts like Kwame. Look at is this way, Josh McRoberts would have possibly been in the lottery a year ago on the potential tag alone. Now that he has lost that tag(because everyone say he could not shoot) he will be lucky to be 1st round. This is because GMs decided it was better to start using words like “upside” as the chief factor rather than performance. However the lesson of McBob probably sits on the mind of some of these guys.
I think Wright has potential but his performance this season is helping him as well.
Good point Chuckheel. There is a greater likelyhood that he will receive one contract in the nba and be done than the likelyhood that staying another season will cause him to be injured. Also, there is a lot more money to be made by staying one more year and getting the “household name” recognition that leads to big endorsement deals. . Right now the “big money” endorsement deals are off the table for him. One more year will grant him that. If I were you Brandan, I would think about my family, finances, and security and stick it out one more year at UNC and go for the “big money” your family will later appreciate you for, rather than getting one contract in the nba and having that money washed up before your kids are 10 years of age.
Good Luck Brandan! Thanks for providing us with a great season. Remember, think about your family and finances before rushing into this decision.
Excellent points Chuckheel.
Chuckheel says Brandan is “guaranteed to be out of the Top 5″. Is that true? I would think Roy has contacted NBA personnel and advised Brandan he will be a Top 5 pick - that’s why he is going pro. Is this logic faulty?
I think it is between 3 and 7.
The big endorsement players are rare, and are the superstars. One more year at Carolina will not bring Brandan Wright any more deals than he would otherwise get. In fact, on this particular team Brandan Wright will be relegated to playing exactly as he was this year, and won’t be developing any more different skills, as the returning team is essentially the same. For example, he and Hansbrough won’t be developing a mid-range jump shot or be handling the ball next year any more than they were this year. Wright will still be under the bucket rebounding, blocking, dunking and making 2-5 foot shots. If you’re told by the people who really know what they’re talking about that you’re a high lottery pick and should go, you should go.
Chris,
Best response I have seen. This is a no brainer. The only people not understanding are limited by their “carolina blue” glasses
Are these same people who “know what they are talking about” the same people who advised Marvin to go? I do agree with you Chris that he will be performing the same tasks if he is to stay, but name recognition could result from another year, and so endorsements as well. Even if I was to accept the fact that he may not get big endorsements based on another collegiate year, he should still look beyond his first contract year. I remember people bringing these same arguments to the table with players like Joseph Forte and Marvin Williams, and I am now left to wonder if another collegiate year may have granted them longevity in the nba-which means multiple contracts=more money, but going for the instant revenue has left them with less money in the long run. Anyway, I know we both wish the best for Brandan, and now I hope he is able to perform at the next level we have seen him play with at Carolina.
I am very hesitant to lump Marvin Williams into the same class as Forte. One key difference between the two is Williams is a good kid who has a good head on his shoulders. The same thing could not be said of Forte who was tough to get along with(even while at UNC) and turned out to be a problem player. Williams went from averaging 8 ppg to 13 ppg this season when he started 63 games and played 34 mpg. I still think the upside labels are apt for Williams and he still has room to grow into a solid NBA player. I actually think Wright is further along than Williams was by virtue of the fact he played more on this team. Yes he has stuff in his game to work on but I agree with Chris in that his role in 07-08 would not change and perhaps the areas he needs to work on the most, FTs and defense, can be accomplished just as well in the NBA.
Well Ed, I think you are limited by your “instant gratification” glasses. I do agree that someone shouldn’t pass up that kind of money when presented to them. My argument is that the money he receives by going now may be limited as opposed to staying. You suggest he goes. I understant that. But your have to ask the question “what happens after the first contract”, as should the forementioned Marvin and Joseph. You should look beyond “right now”. Right now holds a few million for Brandon. But if that is it, he will have that money washed up by the time his kids are in school and his family needs it the most. I someone is willing to sacrifice a few years in college, he could develop a game that would outlast the likes of Joseph & Marvin, leaving his family with multi-contracts and big money for years to come. That “gotta have it now” kind of thinking is what leads people to financial crisis, credit card debt, and so on. There is no reason for Brandon to fall in that trap.
THF, there are more cases of players going to the pro’s and loosing their game than gaining it. Yes, you have Jermaine Oneals and people that get better with time, but more often than not they diminish with time-and all too often after the first contract. And who said Brandan’s role would have to change in order for him to get better or get his name out in the media and become a household figure. He doesn’t have to play point guard or small forward for him to develop to get better like you suggest. He could play the exact same style of basketball this year and get better along with more national media expozure-and we all know what happens to players who get big media, they get big endorsements. If someone is willing to leave college early, then it is usually about the money. And if money is what your concern is, you should play the statistics and stay to gain all of those spoils that come with 2nd year and beyond collegiate basketball players that go on to achieve great things in the NBA.
Adam Gold pointed out that in the history of UNC basketball there have been only four players to go pro early and not be in the top 5:
McInnis
Forte
May
McCants
Among the guys that went early and were top five I think only J.R. Reid has been a huge bust. The jury is still out on Marvin Williams.
The NBA product has gone downhill since the aformentioned departures of Bird, Magic, Michael, etc. There are marquee players aplenty, but it’s still a team game. Duncan is a fine example as chuckheel mentioned, but there may be no better illustration than the career of Jerry Stackhouse, as to what ails the NBA. He’s finally bought into the team concept, and is on the fast-track to contributing to a Title run. The European players, and the ones who finish their college careers are the ones who come in ready to work. All this talk about developing the mid-range jumper, face-up, etc is really mis-guided and a symptom of what is wrong with how the fans have bought into this empty concept imo. College is the place where a player should be developing his work-ethic, not tweaking his face-up because he’ll play the SF in the Pros. If ever there were a work-ethic type of player it’s Brandon…much more in the mold of a Duncan than a Kobe or LeBron. This type of thinking has polluted the game, but fortunately the game is not static, and will make a comeback if for no other reason than a large portion of fans have lost interest in this banal self-serving version.
Nobody can say that Brandan is more in the mold of Tim Duncan than Kobe or James. This is just wishful (we need you back Brandan to ensure a national championship} thinking. Anyone who thinks Marvin Williams has been a disappointment hasn’t followed the game. We knew Forte would flop, but Marvin is on a path that will lead him to a very productive career in a very tough competitive business. Check out how long it took Kobe to get where he is. We may all want the NBA to be what it was 20 years ago but it ain’t. So get used to the fact that players like Brandan Wright (and you might want to check out what Luol Deng is doing now) should do exactly what their advisers (including Roy) tell them to do in this 2007 NBA environment. Very easy to pontificate about what he should do unless you are in his position.
Beg pardon, but my position is that Wright needs UNC more than vice/versa. Almost to the same degree that many over-estimated Ellington’s impact/potential, I believe the same process is in effect here. He’ll no doubt make a decent NBA player, but to quote another: ” he’s a steal at #10, a bust at #3″. If the home situation does indeed merit it, then he is right to take the money & run. For the record, I’m not for bringing back the short shorts, but the NBA IS in fact in the process of changing from what it was just 10 years ago, much less 20. Our performance in International play has demonstrated for many the fallacies of the “artificial-star making machine”. F*** Kobe Bryant–he’s a hiccup, just like Wilt was until he finally bought into the team-game concept in the twilight of his career. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Wright does not need UNC more than vice/versa, Why would Roy, his advisers, the NBA scouts who rank him highly, and of course Brandan himself choose the NBA? We’re talking here about what is best for a particular individual player, not the general decline of American players in International play or any other topic. Brandan isn’t stupid, he’s taken his time to make the decision, and he’s made the right one. He’s not Tim Duncan, as much as you would like him to be. Ask another Wake Forest player Chris Paul, about what Brandan should do and I think we all know what the answer would be.
so we agree-he’s smartly taking the money offered. Help me out-where did I say he was Tim Duncan?
I think there was a compairson to Duncan in terms of mindset and work ethic not skill level.
Chris, I do think Brandan is going to be a decent nba player. I wouldn’t necessarily say Brandan needs UNC as much as he needs time in college basketball. My hopes for Brandan is not to be a decent nba player, but to be a great one. It has been a while since we have put a good product out there. When you look at colleges of the calibur of Duke/Kansas/Kentucky and such, many will say we are just about one in the same. One of the things that separate us from them is the fact that we put out nba hall of famers. We haven’t done that well since Carter/Jamison. I would like to get back to that point. No, I do not blame someone for taking the value of a “first time contract”, as I or you would, as well. As a supporter of Brandan, I think that one more year of college basketball would get him over that hump that Forte, Marvin Williams, Darius Miles and others had to go through that did just go to one year of college, or made the high-school jump. One more year, even if his skill-level stays the same-and he does nothing more than what he did last year, could get him more national expozure and household name value. Especiall with the likes of Kevin Durant and Greg Oden out of the spotlight, Brandan Wright and OJ Mayo could take the stage with lights,camera,action headed in their direction. Now it is my wish that the NBA affords the opportunity for Brandan to develop into what I know he could become instead of discard him like they have so many others in the past. No one knows, but I think he is capable of being special in the nba, very capable for that matter, and I hope his dreams in the nba come to fruition. I have enjoyed our debate over this Chris. What is done is done, go 07-08 heels!!
This would be a good time for Patrick Patterson to consider North Carolina.