Rex Hudler

They should have f*cking fouled! Got lucky with the first miss. Now it's time to rebound!!!

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Feb 19, 2013 -> 08:10 PM) Who trains Oladipo in the offseason? Oladipo and Sheehey have been known gym rats year round since they stepped on campus. Oladipo apparently has turned into a film junkie as well.

That certainly didn't help IU. They stop the game in the middle of a possession to review Nix hitting Zeller in the balls on purpose. Somehow they determine it's not a foul so IU gets to start the possession cold. I don't get stopping the game without making a call. That could have been reviewed after the play. Zeller's shot was inadvertent. It was on a freakin' drive to the basket.

So much for my hope we would pull away and win by 10-12. It was a faint hope, but a hope nonetheless.

QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ Feb 19, 2013 -> 07:44 PM) I just wish Dickie V and his cohorts (I think some were from Magic) would stop comparing him to MJ and Wade. Kinda unfair to the kid. But he is a terrific college player with rare abilities. Last year, no one thought he could shoot. The biggest differences in his game this year are shooting consistency and the ability to land on his feet.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Feb 19, 2013 -> 07:39 PM) Nbadraft.net has him #23 so you could get your wish but I doubt they would draft him. Mark it down, Oladipo will be a lottery pick.

Rivalry games are supposed to be exciting. That was a total snooze fest. Purdue never had a chance. Tuesday night will be much, much different. Whoever wins Tuesday night is certainly in the driver's seat to win the Big Ten. I'm assuming Oladipo will be fine.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Feb 16, 2013 -> 02:45 PM) Is Kentucky still a tournament team without Noel? They were fringe top 25 with him. They just lost by 30 at Tennessee without him. Given their overall resume resembles an 8 or 9 seed as is they will probably need to get a quality win without him to show the current team is worthy. Not without beating Florida or perhaps Missouri. The SEC sucks this year so the number of wins isn't a good barometer. Right now, Kentucky's best win is against Maryland. @ Mississippi was a decent win only because it was on the road. But Ole Miss is a house of cards, as we've seen lately losing 4 out of 5. Ole Miss' ONLY quality win this year was at home against Missouri, who was without Bowers. UK will be lucky to win 4 more regular season games, likely 3 or less.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 14, 2013 -> 11:32 AM) So why can't the NBA draft "grown men" (is a 19 year old college superstar a "grown man"? I know I was still immature as hell my sophomore year) without a hard rule against the occasional HS draftee? They're not being paid to go to school, they're getting a full scholarship for a year and then, if they were good enough to be drafted right out of HS, they'll be gone. They're not there for the classes, and if they are injured to the point that their NBA career is gone, then they'll be losing their athletic scholarship as well. If they were actually being paid appropriately for the revenue they generate, that'd be different. Your stance on that makes me want to puke. It is so far off of reality, I'm not even goint to argue the point.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 14, 2013 -> 11:27 AM) If the NFL allowed teams to draft 18 year olds, don't you think they'd develop a minor league system (either in conjunction with the AFL or independently or otherwise) and that they'd expand the draft? Increase it to 20 rounds and allow for like 47 man rosters for the NFML No, because minor league sports, outside of the established baseball model, have proven not to be economically feasible. Call it the developmental league, the minor league or whatever, franchises need to rent facilities, sell tickets, make money, etc. It makes no sense for franchises to invest millions developing players who may or may not pan out. The cost of that would be passed along elsewhere, whether that be lower player salaries, higher ticket prices, etc.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 14, 2013 -> 10:47 AM) They're forced to take unpaid jobs that generate billions of dollars for others or to leave the country for at least a year. Or get a job digging ditches, what's your point? They have choices, just because you don't like the choices, doesn't make them wrong.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Feb 13, 2013 -> 08:58 PM) Rex, Once again, if a NBA team does not want to draft HS players, they dont have to. But the NBA is making a rule to prevent "companies" from hiring these kids. Thats collusion. You cant do that in most industries. And even then, even if the position says "College Degree Required" if you are the best, if you are the Lebron James of that field, they are going to make an exception. I would like to see evidence that someone who had 1 year of college is better at not spending their money than someone with no college. You cant just assume that. What I can say with almost absolute certainty is that 90% of the people on this earth will never make $10million in their life time. So if you are offered $10mil+, it is insanity to put that off for a year even if the risk is .0001%. Its insane. Or if we are worried about kids making bad decisions with money, why not set up a NFP that provides investment to these kids, that helps them, that teaches them how to save money etc. This isnt about the player, its about NBA owners making an extra million each year. Those are guys who are for the most part already worth millions. Why does the NBA need to protect Jerry Reinsdorf or Mark Cuban from making a bad investment? These guys know what they are doing. Why do they even need more help to screw these kids? You're take is they are screwing the kids. Opinions vary. The way I see it, it is their league and they can choose how they want to deal with it. Again, the kids can still play basketball if they don't like it. They can go play in Europe. The barrier you are so against is really only a delay to one outlet of playing basketball for money. Others are open, should they choose to take that path. You can call them companies all you want, but sports is different than business. You don't see things like profit sharing, mandated revenue sharing, salary caps, etc in private business. Trying to equate professional sports to business and industry is comparing apples to spinach.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Feb 13, 2013 -> 08:39 PM) Its unfair. The system is created to take advantage of the disproportionate negotiating power of the NCAA/NBA versus an 18 year old kid. Even worse (imo) there are biases that have played into how different sports are treated. Baseball- 18 you can be drafted and make money. Hockey- 18 you can be drafted and make money. Soccer- 18 you can be drafted and make money. (Adu played at 14) Yet NBA and NFL are different? I want to encourage more kids to go to college, not to go to Europe. I want what is best for these kids, even if it costs the NBA a few million each year. The NBA can afford to make those mistakes, when one of these kids make a mistake, it likely will change their entire life for the worse. I just dont think thats fair, given the substantial difference in wealth. I disagree wholeheartedly. How many companies require a college degree for certain positions? How many give major preference to degreed candidates over one without a degree? You yourself said the paralegal knew more about law, but has a barrier to entry to become a lawyer because she can't afford to do the schooling. It happens in all walks of life. You said you want what's best for these kids. What about the kid who gets drafted and millions, isn't mature enough to handle it and blows his money and is out of the league by 22. Is it is his best interest that the NBA had no entry requirements? Hell no. If you want to make the argument about the NBA developing their own farm system like baseball does, have at it. But as it is, a kid that has to go through a year of college before he can have access to millions isn't hurting the kid. In fact, in 99% of the cases, it can do nothing but help him, assuming he can actually play at that level. The crime is the college coaches who coddle these kids, don't make them go to class and learn responsibility and discipline. Oh, and Go Hoosiers!!

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Feb 13, 2013 -> 04:54 PM) What are all these industries that have rules that prevent companies from hiring people at any age? The only professions that are generally regulated this way, are professions where the public interest is involved. And the reason the govt argues that they have the ability to regulate is because regular people will be hurt. United States President!

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Feb 13, 2013 -> 04:51 PM) These arguments present false premises. If you pass the bar at X age, you can practice law. A similar comparison would be if the NBA had a skills competition and if you were good enough, you could go to the NBA. So while there are "standards" most of the time they are not based on things like "age" or "HS class". For example, I could have graduated college in less than 3 years. That would have put me a class in front. Would it make sense to say that I have to wait 1 year to go to law school because I was in front of my class? Would it make sense after law school to say I have to sit for 1 year because I was to young? The answer is no. So while you can argue that generally other industries have "skill" requirements, most of those "skills" do not include things like "age." Unless its something that by law you can only do when you are a certain age (ie bar tender). I just do not see why a basketball player should be subjected to similar requirements as a lawyer or doctor. And honestly, I dont believe that anyone should be subjected to those requirements. Lawyer requirements are a joke, its nothing more than a barrier of entry to try and prevent other people from becoming lawyers. But once again, id be fine with something like the bar, where if a basketball player can show proficiency in the sport, that they can play in the NBA. Because the point of the bar, isn't to protect lawyers, its to protect the public at large. And Im not sure what we are protecting the public from when it comes to basketball players getting paid at 18 as opposed to 19. That is merely just an attempt to protect the NBA from bad investments. The NBA is not forcing a kid to go to college. He has every right to go play professionally elsewhere and enter the NBA at a later time. Kids have options, its just that the college programs are the most prevalent one. But you are correct in that they are protecting themselves against a bad investment. Professional sports are much different than other industries, in that they pay millions of dollars based on potential. A High Schooler may be talented enough but may not be mature enough. His development may also be ahead of others and while he is good enough now, he may be close to his ceiling. It is difficult to truly evaluate HS kids when they are only playing against equal talent in the summer for the most part. Given the millions of dollars at stake, I'm perfectly fine with the NBA, or NFL, or MLB having their own entrance requirements. In the case of the NBA, another year of competition, quality coaching and another year of maturity gives them a better opportunity to evaluate and therefore reward correctly. If a player doesn't want to go to college, he could simply sit out a year and roll the dice that he'll still have the same demand upon him. But the bottom line is there is no direct comparison that can be made to other industries. If the NBA had its way, it would rather have a 2-year requirement. As a college fan, so would I!

And I give you the new AP poll, just released.... AP Top 25 RK TEAM RECORD PTS 1 Indiana (26) 21-3 1,559 2 Duke (20) 21-2 1,515 3 Miami (FL) (17) 19-3 1,499 4 Michigan 21-3 1,428 5 Gonzaga (2) 23-2 1,371 6 Syracuse 20-3 1,293 7 Florida 19-3 1,286 8 Michigan State 20-4 1,178 9 Arizona 20-3 1,062 10 Kansas State 19-4 1,012 11 Butler 20-4 943 12 Louisville 19-5 842 13 Ohio State 17-6 828 14 Kansas 19-4 823 15 Georgetown 17-4 679 16 Pittsburgh 20-5 591 17 Oklahoma State 17-5 587 18 Marquette 17-5 493 19 New Mexico 20-4 433 20 Wisconsin 17-7 305 21 Notre Dame 19-5 264 22 Memphis 20-3 193 23 Oregon 19-5 137 24 Colorado State 19-4 125 25 Kentucky 17-6 87 Others receiving votes: Minnesota 80, Missouri 69, Cincinnati 68, Saint Mary's 62, Creighton 56, San Diego State 53, Louisiana Tech 43, Virginia Commonwealth 35, Saint Louis 34, Illinois 26, North Carolina State 24, Akron 12, UCLA 8, UNLV 6, Indiana State 5, Virginia 4, Wichita State 3, Belmont 2, Oklahoma 1, Ole Miss 1 Dropped from rankings: Creighton 16, Cincinnati 17, Minnesota 18, Missouri 21

We shall see.

Illinois winning tonight may have just helped keep Indiana at #1.

QUOTE (He_Gawn @ Feb 10, 2013 -> 04:53 PM) I don't think he's coming to IU, period. Seems like he's going to UL. I think IU has made it known they're all in on Exum and Pinson. Sit at the top for both. I hadn't heard anything to contradict that. Normally, I'd say that's stupid to overlook that talented of a Indiana kid, but in this case I don't see it as a problem. I always thought he would be a tough get. He's not the type to be an IU life long fan.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 10, 2013 -> 04:46 PM) Did anybody hear Clark Kellog compare Oladipo to a baby's bottom? "Smooth and sometimes explosive" I missed that. I still had Vitale's comparisons to a baby Jordan from last week ringing in my ears.

QUOTE (He_Gawn @ Feb 10, 2013 -> 04:23 PM) So JaQuan Lyle visited OSU today for the IU game, obviously as a guest of OSU. He wore Indiana gear... WTF is he thinking? Not sure because I don't see him as an IU lean or anything. Though he has been around IU more lately than I thought. Sometimes kids just want to mess with those that follow recruiting. If I were OSU, I'd have found something else for him to wear. Do coaches have enough balls to tell a recruit that the gear of "opposing team" goes off or you go home and don't get to attend the game? Rock, chime in on this.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 10, 2013 -> 03:25 PM) I think the Indiana games vs. Michigan/MSU might be more important in the long run. The top Big Ten team probably gets to play in the Indianapolis regional. Put Indiana there with the home crowd advantage, that's a game-changer. I sure as hell hope so, I have tickets!!

The Big Ten is a true b****! Michigan will have game 4 this week of this 4-game stretch @Indiana, vs. Ohio St, @ Wisky, @ MSU. Indiana goes 4-1 in this stretch vs. MSU, @ Purdue, vs, Michigan, @ Illinois, @ OSU MSU has this stretch coming up vs. Indiana, @ OSU, @ Michigan, vs. Wisky Wisconsin dealt with @ Indiana, @ Iowa, vs. MSU, vs, Minnesota, @OSU, @ Illinois Illinois is heading into game 5 of this 5-game stretch vs. Michigan, @ MSU, @ Wisky, vs. Indiana, @ Minnesota Indiana has another 5 game stretch of @ MSU, @ Minnesota, vs. Iowa, vs. OSU, @ Michigan I'm sure I've missed others. There are way too many tough 3 game streaks to even count. As much as I hate the thought of losing Thursday night's game, if you would have asked me if I'd have taken 4-1 before this stretch started, I'd have taken it. Nebraska and Penn St. are truly the only easy dates (I shouldn't say that until after IU plays Neb. this week). I gotta think either Iowa or Illinois will garner a 7th NCAA bid. Obviously, they will have to beat the teams they are supposed to beat and pull off a win over the top tier. Iowa should have 4 wins out of their last 7 and a 5th would help greatly. Illinois has a tougher road with 5 road games in their last 8, including Minny tonight. But they have very good OOC wins. This is honestly why I don't like the conference tournament. It can help teams in the middle like Illinois and Iowa, could help the seeding of a few others. But to me it's just another grind in a short period that these teams don't need after the regular season.

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Feb 10, 2013 -> 02:17 PM) It's tiresome at this point. Just because you say it 100 times doesn't make it true, or more than any other fan base. Everyone b****es about officiating. So you say. I know there are more of you, but when the Illini play (and you guys haven't given up on your team and are paying attention), the level of b****ing about the officiating on this and other forums I have been to is unequaled. It's not really even close. Well maybe close to Alabama football fans.... Sorry the truth is making you tired.

Today was a perfect game to show how inaccurate it is to look at a box score after a game and complain about officiating based on FT's attempted. IU shot 22-28 at the FT stripe today. OSU shot 10-15. 17 of IU's 28 attempts came in the last 2:29 of the game as OSU was fouling intentionally trying to make up a 12 pt deficit. OSU committed the final 11 fouls of the game.