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Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 04-15-2014, 01:49 PM:

He is right on line on being a first round or second round pick and that is huge. Hopefully he makes the right decision but his problem is there is no right decision until it's to late. The best thing going is he is extremely intelligent and if he get's his degree whatever happens after that will be easier to handle. His basketball talents are scary good and if he gets his confidence up where it should be, he will be a beast either in the NBA or with the Cats.

Alex Poythress would be close to finishing his degree if he decides to stay at UK for another year. His father said his son changed his major to accounting and has several accounting courses he would have to take in the next year to finish his degree.

“If he doesn’t get it done, he would be close. He has been in summer school both years and takes a very good class load,” Antoine Poythress said.

While finishing his degree will have “some impact” on the UK sophomore’s decision, where he would likely fall in the draft will naturally have the biggest impact.

“Where he is projected and the risk associated with it is what Alex has to weigh,” his father said. “The second round is risky. There’s no guaranteed money, no guarantee of anything in the second round. It’s really taking a big risk. A lot will tell you if you have to go as a second round pick, why bother doing. Other factors could lead to your stock going down as the draft approached. It is not an exact science.

“Kids that go early in the second round are probably okay, but if you go 40th or later, you just taking a risk that you will even make a team. You get not guaranteed contract and a team is really not vested in you.”

He noted that a team like the Philadelphia 76ers “has a ton of second round picks” and isn’t likely to keep all those draft choices on the roster. He also said the Developmental League “is not a very good life” for young players who fail to land on a NBA roster.

“That would not be an option to leave school early to end up there,” Poythress said about his son. “He played great the last few weeks and great in the tournament. He was relaxed and played great down the stretch. He made big plays at the right time when they really needed them. He played big, played good defense down the stretch in about every game and played well against different styles coming at him.

“Then again, his stat line not very good. He averaged less than six points per game. Field goal attempts and all were down (from last year) and points per minute were down cause he did not shoot as much.

“He just has a tough decision to make. He’s got to weigh a lot of things. He enjoys school. He enjoys the environment and being at Kentucky. It’s just a mater of getting minutes to show all he can do in longer stretches. That would be ideal for him. He just has to sit down and think and decide (about what to do) before he runs out of time.”

Antoine Poythress said the good thing is that his son is not being forced to make a bad decision because he can return to UK and be the most veteran player — and likely team leader — on another talented team.

“You don’t want to make a bad decision. That’s the most important thing,” Antoine Poythress said. “He can always come back. He’s not out there on a ledge with no options. He just has a decision to make versus having a decision made for him.”

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Posted by PaulCat (Member # 513) on 04-15-2014, 08:02 PM:

Dear Alex,

If the decision is not a clear cut, easy decision to make, I think the choice is obvious. Personally, if I was on the fence line between the first and second rounds of the draft, I'd stay in school.

Sincerley,
Randolph Morris.

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 04-15-2014, 10:39 PM:

Paul, Randoph Morris made close to 3 million dollars in the NBA and then left and has been playing in China for the Beijing Ducks who just again won their version of the NBA championship. He had games of 23-13, 31-17, 25-8, and 30-11 in the deciding last game. He has played over there for the past four years and will play there again next year. He has made a ton of money over there so I wouldn't feel to sorry for him as he has done awfully well and will never hurt for lack of money. If Alex can make as much as Morris has he will and should be a happy camper.

Posted by WildcatFanatic (Member # 2932) on 04-15-2014, 11:16 PM:

Well I sure hope he's happy in China. [Razz]

Posted by PaulCat (Member # 513) on 04-16-2014, 07:15 AM:

Morris entered the NBA draft and had to come back to UK because no team selected him. That was the point I was trying to make. I was just having a little fun with it. [Smile]

Playing overseas is not the NBA. I bet there has never been one McDonalds All-American who's dream was to play for the Beijing Ducks, or any team outside the US for that matter. Sure, Randolph is probably making a good living financially, but I bet it isn't the living he wanted or thought he would have. Just about any top-100 recruit could go play overseas straight out of high school and make a pretty good living.