Estrella to UM

#126
#126
Clad in Big Orange said:
One thing I think, is that TN isn't playing in the same $ arena as these schools that are buying championship rosters (football or basketball). We may pay a huge amount for a single player that gets publicized (Nico/Ament) but I don't think we are ever going to build a "super team". It's gone too far. He who has the most gold wins has never been truer.
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Underrated comment and absolute truth.

Seems like VOLS are always willing to pay yesterday's money.

"A day late and a dollar short" mentality.
 
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#131
#131
Clad in Big Orange said:
One thing I think, is that TN isn't playing in the same $ arena as these schools that are buying championship rosters (football or basketball). We may pay a huge amount for a single player that gets publicized (Nico/Ament) but I don't think we are ever going to build a "super team". It's gone too far. He who has the most gold wins has never been truer.
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We pay well. We're competitive with most. But no, we don't have a Dave Portnoy, or a Mark Cuban, or a Phil Knight, or any billionaire donor who will drop millions at the drop of a hat to secure whoever we want. We have to pick and choose who we spend on more carefully. We can still sign great players.
 
#132
#132
KTrain said:
Well I really wouldnt call JP athletic and numerous misses around the rim but the game of college is 10 times rougher now than the late 70's. They let ppl body up and bang much more than when McHale played for the Minnesota Gophers and averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds a game. Totally different reffing.
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Uhhh you must be very young if you think the game today is more physical than the 70's and 80's. JP is very athletic, especially compared to a front-court player from that era. But even compared ot most bigs in this era he is well above average, especially for a center. There is a reason he got snatched up in the portal. Is he in the 90th percentile, nah.. but name one big we had outside of Ament that was more athletic than JP? Now go back a few years and hes still one of the most athletic bigs we have had at UT during Barnes tenure. No he is not Giannis (top99th percentile) but hes an 80th percentile type of guy.

At 6'11 240 he is big for even an NBA center.. people get obsessed with 7 footers and big guys but JP is right at the sweet spot. 6'10-11 and in the 230-260 range (most centers with long careers fall into this zone). Most 7-footers are actually lighter than that and most 7-footers from the 80s and 90's were actually 6'10-11 (they measured them in shoes till 2019). It's tall enough to be dominant and big enough to survive the banging but not put too much on the knees. For some reason, around actual 7 feet weird things start happening and you get that whole caveman thing going. I always say it like this if you see a torso picture of them would you know they were super tall? If not they are probably gonna play a while. He has normal proportions. He does not lope down the court he runs. Watch him on highlights he moves like a small forward.
 
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#134
#134
I don't get why people are hating on this guy because he left. He made the right choice for himself and his family. UT didn't value him as much as Michigan did, and that's ok. He is from Maine... maybe he missed the cold weather, and Michigan is the closest he can get to that at a competitive level. its not like he is from Maryville or something. Is he gonna be a high lottery pick? Not likely. But I think he has the skill set to be in the NBA for a long time.

Another thing people seem to be unaware of. UT is not known for developing big men. We are known for wings and guards. Last year, Michigan signed this kid from UCLA, Aday Mara. Dude came to Michigan and doubled his stat output across the board. Went from not being on NBA radars (which is hard for a 7'3 guy) to being seen as a late first-rounder now. Michigan has a track record of big men in the NBA the last few years. The Wagner brothers '21 (Orlando), Diabate '22(Hornets), Houstan '23 (Hawks), *Hunter Dickinson '23 (Pelicans) transferred to Kansas, but he dominated at Michigan, also his 3 years there, Danny Wolf (nets). Then you have Mara (if he does not go to draft) and Lendenborg, who graduated, both mocked as late first-rounders.

The kid made a smart business move.
 
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#135
#135
adam.vol said:
Nkamhoua didn’t really improve by changing schools, but hopefully for Estrella it’s different.
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He did improve statistically, he just picked the wrong year for Michigan that 23-24 team was baaad, they won 8 games, he was basically the best player on that team, which was not good, but what he seems to have wanted. Kinda wild they flipped that team in the portal and 2 years later.....Thats a really interesting thing to note. Michigan as a basketball team, has used the portal very often and outside of that one year very well. So, imho, if a team with that track record came after your player, that says a lot about that player. They have a proven habit of scouting good.
 
#136
#136
pimo1 said:
He did improve statistically, he just picked the wrong year for Michigan that 23-24 team was baaad, they won 8 games, he was basically the best player on that team, which was not good, but what he seems to have wanted. Kinda wild they flipped that team in the portal and 2 years later.....Thats a really interesting thing to note. Michigan as a basketball team, has used the portal very often and outside of that one year very well. So, imho, if a team with that track record came after your player, that says a lot about that player. They have a proven habit of scouting good.
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Nkamhoua actually had better statistics per minute at Tennessee, while maintaining similar shooting percentages. While having the athleticism to be an NBA player, he never really had a head for the game.
 
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