John Harris editorial on Dakich/BG basketball

Warthog · Post by **Warthog** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 9:23 am

This was in Sunday's Blade. I had a hard time trying to find it on the Blade website, but here it is: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... /408150388

Here are a couple of items:

"Ron expressed interest that he wanted to be a point guard. To make the NBA he needed to be a point guard and thought that someplace else he'd have a better opportunity to do that," Dakich said

"I don't really get into who's a point guard and who's not a point guard," Dakich said. "I told Ron this summer the same thing I told Keith McLeod [former Dakich recruit who played for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves last season]. The No. 1 thing for you to play in the NBA is to win. My comments when we were eating lunch one day this summer was, let's put all the NBA talk away. Let's work on winning."

It appears to be another one of those Boozer like situations. Some want to blame the player, some the coach, some the system that puts kids in this situation. Any way you break it down, it makes Lewis look selfish, Dakich look stubborn, and and the whole "get to the NBA" system sucks. This is college basketball. You play to win. Then you can sign up with the NBDL, ABA, USBL, European League, CYO, Rec Center, Intramurals, or whatever other league you can think of to "develop your skills". You get a free college education to play basketball, but you still want more? Let Lewis walk and see how many NBA scouts notice his butt on some playground in Columbus in a year or two. Just my thoughts.

"let's work in winning!" What a great idea

bacn3 · Post by **bacn3** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 1:55 pm

wow that guy never stops surprising me bg could win ever game for the next 10 years b-ball football and hockey and he would still find reason why ut is better than bg. I like how he didn't put in the 14 of 17 grad. rate or the fact that 12 players under DD are now playing pro ball!!

Falconfreak90 · Post by **Falconfreak90** » Wed Aug 18, 2004 11:20 am

bacn3 wrote:wow that guy never stops surprising me bg could win ever game for the next 10 years b-ball football and hockey and he would still find reason why ut is better than bg. I like how he didn't put in the 14 of 17 grad. rate or the fact that 12 players under DD are now playing pro ball!!

Excellent points...

Here's my peeve...

"Allow him to play point guard, if you must. Fill his head with compliments.

That's how you handle the new millennium college basketball star who is already thinking about the NBA the first day he sets foot on campus."

To hell with the NBA...this crap of kids getting there as quicklly as possible isn't good for anyone. Of course there are exceptions like LeBron and Kevin Garnett. But I feel the vast majority of these kids aren't ready.

DD, IMO, doesn't try to BS anyone. He will tell you what he thinks. IF Lewis was so interested in getting to the NBA so quickly that's his problem.
Ron is an incredibly athletic but ya gotta wonder about what's upstairs.

Still looking forward to hoops season. GO BG!

Warthog · Post by **Warthog** » Wed Aug 18, 2004 1:03 pm

Falconfreak90 wrote:Ron is an incredibly athletic but ya gotta wonder about what's upstairs.

Good point Freak. I concur.

Tricky_Falcon · Post by **Tricky_Falcon** » Wed Aug 18, 2004 3:18 pm

The kid like many others wants to play in the NBA. I'm not sure 18-20 year olds really care about the team concept in college when they see the Millions of dollars you can make in the NBA. He saw that the only way he'd make the NBA was to be a PG. This wasn't going to happen in this system and he decided to move on to somewhere that would take him to the next level. I can't blame him too much. Ron isn't going to be a small forward in the NBA his best chances were at playing PG. I wish him the best and hope he makes it to the next level. Saying that he does have to change his attitude, sometimes you have to look at whats best for the team.

factman · Post by **factman** » Wed Aug 18, 2004 3:46 pm

Ron isn't going to be a small forward in the NBA, NOR is he going to be a point guard. He was absolutely horrible when he was "forced: to play there last year, and his attitude of "what is best for me", doesn't exactly fit the mentality of a good point guard!!!!!!!!

Tricky_Falcon · Post by **Tricky_Falcon** » Wed Aug 18, 2004 4:42 pm

factman wrote:Ron isn't going to be a small forward in the NBA, NOR is he going to be a point guard. He was absolutely horrible when he was "forced: to play there last year

Then his options are fading quickly if he's not going to be a point guard. Where do you expect him to play if at all? He won't be a shooting guard for obvious reasons. But then again...I guess shooting isn't a big deal once you make it as a pro.

factman wrote:and his attitude of "what is best for me", doesn't exactly fit the mentality of a good point guard!!!!!!!!

No, but if you look at the NBA that's been the mentality for years.

orangeandbrown · Post by **orangeandbrown** » Wed Aug 18, 2004 10:37 pm

Ron Lewis isn't going to play in the NBA and never was.

Tricky_Falcon · Post by **Tricky_Falcon** » Wed Aug 18, 2004 11:46 pm

orangeandbrown wrote:Ron Lewis isn't going to play in the NBA and never was.

That's your opinion. I believe and I think others believe that he is fully capable of making it in the NBA. Does he need work? Yes he does. We only saw him play for two years on a team that wasn't exactly bursting with talent. He had to come right in and try to carry this team on his shoulders. The only break he had was that Reimold was there next to him. I think that once he sits out this year and goes to a solid team you will see a difference in his play.

Warthog · Post by **Warthog** » Thu Aug 19, 2004 8:19 am

Tricky_Falcon wrote:I believe and I think others believe that he is fully capable of making it in the NBA.

I will see Ron Lewis in the NBA when monkeys fly out of my butt.

hammb · Post by **hammb** » Thu Aug 19, 2004 10:20 pm

Warthog wrote:
Tricky_Falcon wrote:I believe and I think others believe that he is fully capable of making it in the NBA.
I will see Ron Lewis in the NBA when monkeys fly out of my butt.

Ouch, that could hurt!

Ronald fits in quite well with the NBA. Good first step, good leaper, no defense, no jump shot. Heck he's destined for the NBA!

Of course he lacks that thing called height

I don't see Ron Lewis making it in the NBA, but who knows. Anyone that would rather quit and try to find a better "situation" than trying to make things work in his current situation is not the NBA mentality, IMO. More than any amount of physical talent playing in the top levels of sports takes a great amount of heart. Perhaps he has that, but I'd think the type of guy willing to put in the work to get to the NBA would be willing to put in the work to make it at BG for coach D.

Tricky_Falcon · Post by **Tricky_Falcon** » Thu Aug 19, 2004 11:06 pm

hammb wrote:Of course he lacks that thing called height

I don't see Ron Lewis making it in the NBA, but who knows. Anyone that would rather quit and try to find a better "situation" than trying to make things work in his current situation is not the NBA mentality, IMO. More than any amount of physical talent playing in the top levels of sports takes a great amount of heart. Perhaps he has that, but I'd think the type of guy willing to put in the work to get to the NBA would be willing to put in the work to make it at BG for coach D.

Good post hammb.

Of course Earl Boykins and a number of other players also lack height but they made it. Also, he's got a couple inches on Keith McLeod, so really it's not that hard to fathom him playing in the NBA.

In all honestly I was very dissapointed that Lewis quit. I didn't think that he was the type of player to give up so easily. But playing devils advocate maybe Lewis didn't think that coach D was looking out for his best interest. I'm not saying that's Coach D's responsibility but Lewis in my opinion saw this team going downhill with so many people leaving and that he wasn't going to be given or even have the chance to earn playing time at PG so he's moving on to a place that might give him that chance.

Warthog · Post by **Warthog** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 8:34 am

Lewis has no shot at the NBA. In this era, anyone with "potential" better be 18 and coming out of high school. How many 4 year college players even got drafted this year? Less than 10? Look at Jameer Nelson, for example. A PG lacking some height who stayed in school 4 years. Fell to like the 20th pick because the NBA is just interested in "potential". And with Lewis transferring, that adds another year to his age before he would even be in an NBA Draft. NBA teams aren't that interested in 23 year olds who still need to work on their game. Yes, maybe he could play overseas, but never in teh NBA. (IMO)

And yes Hammb, that would be painful, but I am NOT planning on it happening any time soon.

orangeandbrown · Post by **orangeandbrown** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 10:55 am

Didn't we have a discussion about whether Kevin Netter would be drafted or make the NBA as a free agent? Finland didn't come up. Ron Lewis won't play in the NBA.

Flipper · Post by **Flipper** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 11:55 am

Ron would struggle in the WNBA. Swinn Cash would OWN him...