Josh Selby had a lot more to prove at KU. In half a season, Selby didn't look like a one-and-done player or surefire first-round pick. He averaged just under eight points a game, shot really poorly (37.3 percent) and was slowed by injuries. He didn't look like the No. 1 player in the class of 2010.
For a guy projecting as a late first-round to early second-round pick, returning to KU to improve his draft stock seemed like the smart move. It wasn't the move Selby made. On Thursday, Selby announced on Twitter that he's going pro.
Selby had been working out in Las Vegas, and the 6-foot-2-inch guard decided that he was ready to play in the league."I want to thank all the ku fans who supported me through everything and all the fans who doubting me. I will miss the fieldhouse. But it's a new journey in my life now. I will not return to Kansas next year. Making my dream a reality. NBA baby."
"I never coached a kid that went through as much stuff his freshman year
as Josh has -- everything from a broken hand to a nine-game suspension
to missing 20 practices and a stress reaction in his foot later in the
season that limited his movement for the remainder of the season," Self
said in a statement released by KU. "He fought through it and certainly
played through injury and did everything within his power to give our
team the best chance to succeed.
"Right now, from reports we are getting, Josh is playing at a very high
level," Self added. "I wish Josh would not have had to deal with all
those things, like most players don't have to deal with them, but I do
think through this he's become better prepared for real life. Up until
his foot injury Josh was a guy who averaged 12 points a game and was
just getting very comfortable for us. For him to deal with the injury
was tough on him, but he feels good now and should be 100 percent and
back to the explosive guy that he is as he works out for NBA teams."
Self even tried to bat down some of the backlash against Selby. "We, as a staff, totally support Josh's decision and we also hope our
fans support it as well," Self said.
Selby clearly didn't want to spend another season in Lawrence. He said as much to the Journal-World.
"I wanted to leave, but I also wanted to make sure it was the right
decision," Selby told the paper. "I came out here and produced. I was getting back to my old
self, looking good. I decided it was the right time to go to the NBA."
But the timing could end up being horrible. Selby needs more time on the court to develop. Earlier this week, there were reports that the NBA canceled its summer league games in which rookies, first-year and second-year players work on their games. The league hasn't officially canceled summer league yet, but with a lockout looming and extremely likely, Selby may have to find another place to play during the summer.
Replacing Selby won't be a problem for KU. The Jayhawks signed five-star shooting guard Ben McLemore earlier this month and have plenty of players ready to take Selby's minutes (Tyshawn Taylor, Elijah Johnson,
Royce Woolridge, Travis Releford, Conner Teahan and newcomer Naadir Tharpe).
The good news for Self is that he and his staff no longer have to waste time developing a guy with one foot out the door (although if McLemore is as good as advertised, he could be one-and-done).
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Unfortunetely in the real world no one gives a flying fuck about teenage girls golf, tennis, or gymanstics. Where is everyone bitching about the 3 year college football rule? They should make these kids stay in school for 3 years in basketball as well and if they dont like it I am sure foreign teams would love to sign them. As much as everyone hates to admit NCAA is a business as well as the NBA and they are hand in hand. It is bad for business for the NCAA to lose kids like Selby and bad for the NBA to draft them. It makes both products much better the longer they stay.
I agree, Nothing better than watching a battle at the Hilton on a cold January night. I think, Releford, Morningstar and Reed, who are not going to be pros, love it as well.
But not for Josh, and I don't blame him for it. The NCAA forces these NBA ready athletes to go to college for a year. He made the decision the first chance he got. A good one for him to escape from the NCAA while he is still marketable.
The real farce is the NCAA forcing these kids to go to college in the first place. Let them go to the NBA if they are ready. Young teenage girls play golf, tennis, gymnastics, so why deny these kids the right to earn a living?
Wonder what the difference is? hmmmm
You're right, injuries are always a factor. Seems like he could have played his way up draft boards with another years though.
There is nothing wrong with playing in Ames, Iowa, from November to March. Go Cyclones!
I think Shelby made the right choice. One bad injury and that money is gone forever. The NBA looks for raw talent that can be developed. He fits that bill. Better to earn millions sitting on the bench than playing in Ames, IA in February.
Like it or not, this in the way big time college basketballers roll.
Abe, that must be the most ignorant thing I've heard in weeks. You must be a MU fan, since you don't even know what a lottery pick is.
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