Apparently cost him $200K. I really thought the Mavs would hold onto him. Once they traded him, his chances of sticking were slim.
Uthoff waived by Rockets
- Thread starter StormHawk42
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I suppose so but I'd be lying if I said I knew what the Mavs have brought in for draft picks and the like. I have no idea what their roster situation is.
He was a great college player and a great Hawk.
There is a long, long list of great college players that never made it in the NBA.
He may yet get there; it's certainly not impossible. I would say it's more likely though that he'll make his money playing ball in the D-league or overseas.
There is a long, long list of great college players that never made it in the NBA.
He may yet get there; it's certainly not impossible. I would say it's more likely though that he'll make his money playing ball in the D-league or overseas.
This year was a really good chance for Uthoff too. The NBA added two additional roster spots for each team. Those spots are for two-way contracts (G league and NBA) and don't count against the salary cap. I was hoping Uthoff could snag one of those spots.
You know it's absolutely crazy to think about all the talent on the last few ISU/Iowa teams, and the one guy to sign a long term NBA contract was Abdel Nader.
Uthoff's problem is more mental than physical. If he was more confident and aggressive, he would do a much better job of showing off his skills.
I don't really understand this. Are you saying he was passive in the NBA or the D League? I didn't see that. He stuck with the Mavericks at the end of last year due to playing like they wanted him to, which was defending, rebounding, spacing the floor and making a play when it was there. The quickest way for a player who isn't great to get booted out of the NBA is to go hunt shots.
Sometimes guys just aren't good enough. Uthoff certainly could have been more aggressive about his shot in college but up until his senior year where are good older players who everyone kind of deferred to. His senior year he took a lot of shots.
I feel bad for Jarrod and Pete. Again, our best isn't good enough for NBA. What is this "mystique?" What will it take to land a player in the NBA? The University may want to force players to take three foreign language courses. Sorry, just a little pissed.
Anymore it seems unless you are either an elite one-and-done type or you have a clearly defined niche (I e Korver's shooting or Reggie Evans' rebounding), your odds are slim. But someone else is probably more qualified to opine on the NBA than me.
There was Ricky "Triple Double" Davis. Of course that was 20 years ago.
There's nothing magical or mystical about it. The NBA is just the toughest pro league to break into. Very, very good players don't make it there.
You're certainly as qualified as anyone. I think you're largely spot on. First-round picks are the only ones guaranteed of anything, and even they aren't guaranteed to play. For guys coming out of college, they are competing with the other draft/FA players, players from Europe or South America and the US players who have been playing overseas for spots on a NBA roster.
I am not suggesting Uthoff should have become a ball hog, but that his personality is to defer to others, unless he feels like others want him to exert himself. You obviously watch more NBA than I, so you saw way more of Jarrod's play in Dallas than I did. The D league more of a "me first" game, and that is definitely not going to work to Jarrod's advantage. You are correct that the NBA game is mostly for elite athletes more than "good ballplayers." Jarrod is not an elite athlete, but I still think he could become a solid role player in the NBA, if a coach saw how he could fit. Maybe it is time for him to go make some money in Europe like White and Gesell?
The NBA has become a global sport. They're drawing players from all over the world. Way more (globally) than MLB and the NFL and the roster sizes are smaller. In 2016 there were 113 international players from 41 countries/territories. And that's not counting China where they play a lot of basketball but nobody could hack in the NBA. There were 15 roster spots so 113/450 = 25% of NBA players international. That only leaves room 337 U.S. players.
MLB had 238 international players on opening day rosters which is a higher percentage (238/750 = 31% international players, 518 U.S. players) but only from 18 different countries and territories meaning they're drawing from a smaller population pool. The Dominican Republic (82), Venezuela (63), Cuba (23), Puerto Rico (17); Mexico (12); Japan (8); South Korea (8); Canada (6); Panama (4); Colombia and Curaçao (3 each); Brazil and Taiwan (2 each); Aruba, Australia, the Netherlands, Nicaragua and the U.S. Virgin Islands (1 each). Europe, Africa, China, and India don't play baseball so cuts down the pool to draw from considerably.
MLB had 238 international players on opening day rosters which is a higher percentage (238/750 = 31% international players, 518 U.S. players) but only from 18 different countries and territories meaning they're drawing from a smaller population pool. The Dominican Republic (82), Venezuela (63), Cuba (23), Puerto Rico (17); Mexico (12); Japan (8); South Korea (8); Canada (6); Panama (4); Colombia and Curaçao (3 each); Brazil and Taiwan (2 each); Aruba, Australia, the Netherlands, Nicaragua and the U.S. Virgin Islands (1 each). Europe, Africa, China, and India don't play baseball so cuts down the pool to draw from considerably.
Not an NBA expert by any means. I do know Uthoff distinguished himself in the D-League to such an extent that the Mavs became interested. The NBA gets the reputation as a "me-first" place, but that's not really the case. Guys who care only about stats just don't last very long. The reason that people think it's a "me-first" place is that in order to play with a 24-second clock, you need guys on the floor who can get their own shot. That may create the perception that NBA players are me-first, when they are really not. The realities of the shot clock dictate that players are put in a position where they have to make something happen with the ball.
I'm sure Uthoff will have options to make money playing basketball, whether it's here or overseas.
I think one reason, not the only nor the biggest, the Hawks don't put a lot of players in the NBA who stay there is the way the game is changing with regards to age. Teams are looking for younger players (one and dones) and that's just not a part of Iowa basketball.
That's a good point you made, one I didn't consider when I posted. Yep, smaller pool of domestic players.
