April 24, 201313 yr My point was that Russ will not be the starting point guard. We'll never know what he does in individual instruction, but Russ will not be the starting 1. And I agree 100% with you, which is why I don't understand why they would list that as a reason he came back. Everyone knows it isn't true.
April 24, 201313 yr Author And I agree 100% with you, which is why I don't understand why they would list that as a reason he came back. Everyone knows it isn't true. I mean he will have to get better at point guard, because that's the only spot he can play in the NBA. I just don't think we'll necessarily see him that much at the 1, but that doesn't mean they aren't working on it. I think more than anything his shot selection and A/T ratio will be the biggest measuring sticks for improvement.
April 24, 201313 yr Guessing you see Montrezl at the 5 quite a bit...You have to. It puts your five best on the court. Louisville would like four things from their center: On defense, they need a rim defender and someone athletic enough to cover the back of the press. On offense, they need someone who can draw defenders from under the basket and can follow the guards on the pick and roll. Harrell is the only one who gives you a shot at that. SVT is probably the safest choice, but Harrell give you the higher ceiling.
April 24, 201313 yr Reasons Russ Smith came back for his senior year: "I want to graduate." Good! Great reason. "I want to go through Senior Night." Awwwww! "My room was dirty, I would have had a lot of cleaning up to do before I left." ...yeah? OK? "I was thinking about all the new guys coming in and all the jokes I have for all of the new guys." Never change, kid.
April 24, 201313 yr Seems like a good kid and that's great for UL fans but I don't think this will work out well in terms of his draft stick for next year.
April 24, 201313 yr Yeah, no doubt he will get more tick there next season. Him and Chane on the court at the same time would be tough to handle. As long as the other team isn't very tall. :lol2: I don't worry about his height as much, because he does have great length, instincts, power, and hustle. I'll sacrafice an inch or two for those. Not to mention the fact that I don't think anyone derives more joy from playing basketball than Harrell.
April 24, 201313 yr Guessing you see Montrezl at the 5 quite a bit... Agreed. I see him at the 5 to start the season at least.
April 24, 201313 yr I think Zach Price should get some burn at the 5. Kid is getting the shaft.:sssh:
April 24, 201313 yr Seems like a good kid and that's great for UL fans but I don't think this will work out well in terms of his draft stick for next year. My guess remains that he saw the writing on the wall for being an undersized guy in today's NBA anyway. If he wasn't going to get guaranteed money from a draft deal, then head back to school and improve the things that will help you make a good roster in Europe 12 months later. I'm not saying that's a great plan, but it's something.
April 24, 201313 yr My point was that Russ will not be the starting point guard. We'll never know what he does in individual instruction, but Russ will not be the starting 1. I can see Rick going with the Tony Delk experiment. Delk ultimately went back to the SG position. I did not think Russ did all that bad at PG like some act.
April 24, 201313 yr My guess remains that he saw the writing on the wall for being an undersized guy in today's NBA anyway. If he wasn't going to get guaranteed money from a draft deal, then head back to school and improve the things that will help you make a good roster in Europe 12 months later. I'm not saying that's a great plan, but it's something. :thumb: He may as well enjoy another year of college while he can. It sounds like maybe his dad was the only one in a hurry for him to "cash in".
April 24, 201313 yr As a die hard UK fan I think this move makes sense. I hate the thought of having to guard Russ next year but he enjoys the college life and will be the focal point of the offense next year. He could have a Kemba Walker type year and put him self in the middle to late first round with that type of year regardless of draft strength. Also he is a stand up kid and his returning is great for the University of Louisville, the City of Louisville, the state of KY, and college basketball as a whole.
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