not cool

3/24/2014 3:06:46 PM

[BYE]

3/24/2014 3:14:46 PM

Undecided: Beamer, Benz, or Bentley

3/24/2014 3:18:21 PM

So now we're just waiting on him to hire an agent right?

3/24/2014 3:37:02 PM

sources tell me TJ woke up in a new bugatti.

3/24/2014 3:46:00 PM

I don't think we're waiting on anything. There is no way he is coming back. If he did come back, I'd be thrilled for next year's team. But honestly, I think the best thing for both TJ and our long-term recruiting impact is for him to go pro this year and hopefully be a top 20 or so pick.

If he were to return, he'd probably have a decent chance at maintaining or increasing his draft stock, but there'd also be a definite risk of his stock falling for any number of reasons. It's best if he capitalizes on that now and then Gottfried can point to his success as a reason for future stars to choose the Wolfpack.

3/24/2014 3:46:28 PM

I don't think you can in anyway say its better for the program for him to leave.

It is better for him to leave, and I'd be very happy for him if he/when he does leave.

If he came back we would be an ACC title contender and that would be better long term for the program.

3/24/2014 4:21:37 PM

I dunno, i kinda agree it might be better for the program long term for the reason that was given: pointing to him as an NBA success story. Of course, if he came back and won an ACC championship and/or carried us to a final four appearance and/or was a national POY, that would be better. But there's just as much of a chance that he wouldn't perform quite as well next year and would lose draft stock.

3/24/2014 4:24:50 PM

obviously it's better for the program if he comes back and we win the acc title, he gets another acc poy, etc. but there is also a very real chance for a repeat of last year where we come in with huge expectations and ultimately fall short. i feel like an equally realistic scenario could be us finishing around 4th in the conference and TJW being a late first round selection.

it's impossible to predict, and that's exactly my point. the only thing that is guaranteed is where his draft stock is right now (and after the pre-draft workouts). i'm certainly not arguing that him going pro now is better than him returning and leading us to an acc title.

3/24/2014 4:31:55 PM

I realize this means very little, but: http://www.wralsportsfan.com/warren-remains-undecided-on-future-despite-media-reports/13507590/

Quote :

"However, Warren told WRAL late Monday that he remains undecided and is focused on finishing school."

3/24/2014 4:46:52 PM

in order of benefit to us:

1. TJ stays, we win ACC

2. TJ leaves for NBA, we get some exposure as his alma mater

3. TJ stays, he/we underperform


there's a lot at stake for both parties

3/24/2014 5:04:57 PM

Unlike CJ Leslie and Lorenzo Brown, I think TJ could stand to improve a lot by staying. He's got a much better attitude and work ethic, without the discipline problems and lack of focus. Ultimately, I think he'll follow the money, but I don't think he'd regress the way CJ/Zo did if he stayed.

3/24/2014 5:11:22 PM

Quote :

"BABY COME BACK"

3/24/2014 5:12:30 PM

Next year, we will rely less on TJ, which gets his PPG down automatically. I see no reason for him to come back, earn those $$ TJ

3/24/2014 5:17:33 PM

Quote :

"Unlike CJ Leslie and Lorenzo Brown, I think TJ could stand to improve a lot by staying. He's got a much better attitude and work ethic, without the discipline problems and lack of focus. Ultimately, I think he'll follow the money, but I don't think he'd regress the way CJ/Zo did if he stayed. "

List the things that you think he could legitimately expect to significantly improve by coming back next year. His game has its weaknesses, but many of them aren't things that one more year of college will improve significantly. An additional complicating factor would be that it gives opponents an extra year to learn how to defend him and give scouts more opportunity to find holes in his game.

I just don't see a ton of room for improvement over averaging 25 ppg in the ACC. The rest of our team will be better too, so it would be unrealistic not to expect his scoring numbers to drop. He does have tremendous attitude and work ethic, which is all the more reason why he is NBA ready right now.

Warren is easily my favorite player since Hodge and it sucks to see him go, but it's the best move for him and us. Our team will be better overall next year, and hopefully TJ will be tearing it up in the NBA.

3/24/2014 5:19:06 PM

http://deadspin.com/marcus-smart-did-the-right-thing-and-look-where-it-go-1546498463

3/24/2014 5:19:09 PM

Quote :

"North Carolina State sophomore T.J. Warren has decided to enter the June NBA draft, sources told Yahoo Sports. Warren reached the decision with his family on Sunday and had been expected to inform the N.C. State coaching staff of his decision early this week, sources told Yahoo Sports. A formal announcement is expected to come soon. Warren, a 6-foot-8 forward, had 25 points in N.C. State's NCAA tournament victory over Xavier and 28 in their loss to Saint Louis last week. He's considered one of the best pure scorers in the draft class, averaging 24.9 points and shooting 52 percent from the floor. Meetings with agents to represent Warren in the NBA draft are underway. DraftExpress.com has Warren slated to be chosen 18th in its most recent mock draft."

the bold line pretty much says it, my guess is that he is non-comittal to put the heat on agents to get the best deal.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/north-carolina-state-s-t-j--warren-to-enter-nba-draft-182910944.html

goodnight sweet prince

3/24/2014 5:32:46 PM

He wants (and deserves) the press conference. He'll say a lot about what an honor it was to play for state and it will be sincere. This dude loved wearing the same jersey as his dad. TJ Warrens and Russell Wilsons do a lot for our university.

3/24/2014 5:55:19 PM

i didn't want to post silly speculation like this before, but his post-game demeanor definitely seemed like the demeanor of someone who had just played his last college game

3/24/2014 5:59:15 PM

Don't get PigPen'd

3/24/2014 6:03:28 PM

Man, if only TJ was a Civil War buff who liked taking it easy on the court and the classroom...he could stay forever!

3/24/2014 6:08:02 PM

I know he's gone. Shame. This is the kind of thing we need in our favor to become a good program and it just never happens. Having an nba star would help but when guys leave before developing a good shot they end up as a regular nba player with little longevity. I feel as though we are back where we were before and may never get over the hump and out of the cycle of being on the rise and almost there just to rebuild from our rebuilding.

3/24/2014 6:43:24 PM

We had an NBA player on our team during a rebuilding year this year - that's about As good as it gets unless you're coach K

3/24/2014 6:49:40 PM

actually K had 2 nba players in a non-rebuilding year and got just as far.

##justsaying

[Edited on March 24, 2014 at 7:01 PM. Reason : s]

3/24/2014 7:01:43 PM

If only Coach K wasn't such a shitty coach he could've kept Gerald Henderson in school for 2010...

3/24/2014 7:03:08 PM

His draft stock won't get higher. Its a good decision on his part heres to hoping he is still on a team by opening day.

3/24/2014 7:15:23 PM

I would appreciate Tony Junior to be a Jr.

3/24/2014 7:17:44 PM

http://espn.go.com/nba/draft2014/story/_/id/10666139/nc-state-tj-warren-headed-draft

Headline: TJ Warren to enter NBA Draft

Story: Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried told Andy Katz of ESPN.com on Monday that Warren "has not decided yet" and will meet with his family Thursday to discuss the matter.

3/24/2014 8:18:33 PM

Quote :

"Man, if only TJ was a Civil War buff who liked taking it easy on the court and the classroom...he could stay forever!"

lulzz

3/24/2014 8:31:11 PM

^^I am confuse.

3/24/2014 8:42:35 PM

Even if he could improve his draft stock by staying another year, why would he want to? The Celtics and Lakers won't suck again next year, being in the lottery just means getting drafted by a shitty franchise. Better to go out now in a loaded draft where a playoff team with decent management might see his value and he gets to start his career playing 15-20min/night off the bench for a contender. Fastest way to a second contract.

3/24/2014 9:49:29 PM

The silver lining is he got us a lot of exposure this year. Recruits will see PT and possibility of filling the void that he left. Sending people off in a first round, high pick draft is always good.

3/25/2014 7:12:07 AM

^Except when you've had 2 players leave early the previous year only to be busts. We all thought Lorenzo was NBA ready and he just wasn't. Unfortunately, in the NBA they're just going to sag off of TJ until he can hit something from outside 20 feet. I love him but until he is a threat from 3 he just isn't a top 15 pick.

3/25/2014 7:40:46 AM

I don't think anyone actually believes Warren is a lottery pick this year barring a bunch of the heralded underclassmen opting to stay in college. I think the highest I've seen Warren in any mock was the 18th pick. Some of the analysts/experts don't even have Warren going in the 1st round of their mocks.

I expected Warren to declare but not sign an agent so he could kinda wait and see who all does and doesn't declare. If some of these guys like Embiid, Parker, etc end up staying another year(pulling a Marcus Smart), then Warren can slide up the draft board and should definitely go. If they all go in, and some unexpected ones join them, could push him even further back into the mid-20's.

3/25/2014 8:48:07 AM

^^

We all thought Lorenzo was NBA ready?

Look we all really like the kid...but anyone who watched him play last year should have realized he was not ready for the jump.

3/25/2014 9:09:58 AM

Why do some people think he'll improve his perimeter shot if he stays in college, but won't improve it if he works on it in the offseason and practices with NBA teams?

3/25/2014 9:16:55 AM

a year vs. a few months maybe

3/25/2014 9:22:33 AM

^^
He would do so maybe in the NBADL, but not if he makes an NBA roster and has to play a tighter schedule than in college.

3/25/2014 9:27:16 AM

^^^I think it's less that and people searching for reasons, not matter how much of a stretch, that definitively mean he should stay.


I get it, as a fan, I want nothing more than to see the guy in a wolfpack uniform for two more years. I want him to shatter all of DTs records. He's the kind of guy that could easily be one of those college basketball legends that gets talked bout for the next 30 years... if he stayed long enough to write that story. And other than a national title, watching the TJ Warren story unfold is about as good as it would get for this pack fan.

But even if he doesn't become an NBA star with a lengthy career, he'll have several million to show for it as a solid player (we know he isn't CJ Leslie). If I put myself or my future son in those shoes, my thought is-- fuck the narrative, get paid while you can. It sucks for me, but good for him.

[Edited on March 25, 2014 at 9:27 AM. Reason : .]

3/25/2014 9:27:20 AM

so he comes back next season, takes a bunch of 3 pointers, his points and fg% drop, as does his draft stock. it's just as likely a scenario as him improving his 3% to 35%. (and i just saw that he shot 52% from 3 last year, although he only took 27 shots, versus 116 this year.)

3/25/2014 9:27:44 AM

Improving his outside shooting doesn't necessarily mean shooting and making more 3's. It's about mechanics and consistency. He's always going to be a better scorer in the paint so it would be stupid to "take a bunch of 3 pointers." A full year of practice working on that allows him the opportunity to improve those areas.

[Edited on March 25, 2014 at 9:31 AM. Reason : Note: I don't think he should stay.]

3/25/2014 9:30:40 AM

It's simple logic/math that the closer you are to the top of the Draft the more likely your Draft position is to slide than rise.

TJ would be a total idiot not to go pro. He has almost nothing to gain and everything to lose by returning

3/25/2014 9:56:33 AM

Like i said before, its 50/50. TJ strike me as a guy who truly loves NCSU and wants to build a legacy. However, its hard to turn down millions for a legacy. Also, Leslie couldn't hold TJ's jockstrap. The way Warren played this year was the way he HOPED Leslie would play his junior year but he didn't have the skill set. Brown was good, but in all honestly, i think Lewis/Barber will be better assuming they stay four years. Also, Warren is a hard worker and IF he were to stay i would expect his outside shooting to improve tremendously like his FT shooting this year minus the last game.

3/25/2014 9:58:12 AM

Plus, guys like TJW totally get screwed by the NCAA. He should be getting paid.

3/25/2014 10:09:58 AM

TJ Warren is a good shooter. His shot was off tthis year because he was focusing on getting his body ready for the NBA.

Shooting is muscle memory. You can't focus on reaching peak physical condition/musculature while perfecting your shot. It's impossible.

He's what 20 years old? Guy will be a stone cold killer in 5 years. Statistically NBA players prime Iis age 25-28.

I'd be surprised if he isn't a 16-20 ppg guy . He's simply a monster offensively.

3/25/2014 11:32:50 AM

I think Warren will end up leading some NBA team's 2nd unit as a scorer off the bench. Even with his high fg%, he's not especially efficient because he doesn't draw many fouls and doesn't hit many 3's. Additionally, the bulk of his scoring in college has come from putbacks and transition layups. Those baskets will dry up in the NBA game where teams are moving increasingly to the Chicago model of preventing transition baskets at the expense of offensive rebounds.

3/25/2014 11:51:24 AM

TJ up to #11 in NBAdraft.net latest mock

http://nbadraft.net/2014mock_draft

3/25/2014 12:33:46 PM

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2014/story/_/id/10667239/nba-draft-tj-warren-ready-nba

Quote :

"Some snippets: Warren is an offensively gifted player. The son of former eighth-round draft pick Tony Warren, he brings elite size for a wing to the table. He's an excellent finisher around the rim, with a knack for completing through contact and fouls. He wants to get out in transition and often will leak prematurely to do so. Warren has a really nice in-between game of runners and floaters, which makes him almost impossible to guard at his size when he's hitting. Scoring is a coveted commodity in the NBA, and in the past few weeks, more and more GMs and scouts have started to consider him in the middle of the first round"

Quote :

"Some more snippets: "As his low similarity scores indicate, Warren is a unique NBA prospect. His effectiveness was built on creating 2-point shots (his usage rate ranked seventh in the NCAA, per KenPom.com) while hitting them at an impressive 58.0 percent clip. That makes Warren a throwback to 1980s small forwards like Bernard King and Alex English. Can such a player thrive in the modern NBA? Unclear. Only one wing player in my database before Warren was projected to use less than 10 percent of his plays on 3-pointers and less than 8 percent on free throws: DeQuan Jones, who played for Orlando last season after going undrafted in the 2012 draft. The transition to the NBA takes a huge hit out of 2-point percentages, and Warren may find it difficult to be efficient without improving his 3-point shooting or getting to the foul line more frequently and hitting better than 69.0 percent once there." -- "On defense, he'll give his man cushion and try to use his length. He has active hands; he wants to slap away the ball whenever an offensive player is in triple threat. NC State tried to hide him by putting him on pick-and-pop or undersized bigs, but that won't work at the next level. He's a lazy defender on the weak side and an inconsistent shot contester. He'll often stand straight up and down, leading to more reactionary than proactive rotations. And his poor closeout technique leads not to only blow-bys but also middle drives, which can wreak havoc on a team's defensive scheme." -- [The previous writer] isn't the only one having a tough time finding great comps for Warren. NBA scouts and GMs have been all over the place on him this season because Warren's game doesn't fit the typical mold they are looking for. They want long, athletic wings who use speed and explosiveness to create their own shots or who can shoot the lights out and stretch defenses. Warren does neither. He gets all of his shots in the midrange game on floaters or taking it to the basket. He's a throwback who uses great basketball IQ and angles to get his shot. While everyone loves watching him play, does it translate?"

also:

Quote :

""Warren has taken the 3rd highest amount of runners and floaters in all of college basketball this season according to Synergy Sports Technology, hitting over 50% of these attempts, which is tops among DX Top-100 prospects." "He's also extremely effective in the direct vicinity of the basket, making 69% of his non-floater attempts around the rim in the half-court, which is also #1 among DX Top-100 prospects.""

[Edited on March 25, 2014 at 12:41 PM. Reason : ]

3/25/2014 12:34:14 PM

He's going to have to learn to get the foul line more and bury some corner 3s to be a good player in the NBA. Most guys have stuff they need to work on when they declare, though. Even if he never ends up a great outside shooter or defender there's still room in the NBA for guys who can score. Just look at Corey Maggette's career.

3/25/2014 2:03:02 PM

Quote :

"TJ would be a total idiot not to go pro. He has almost nothing to gain and everything to lose by returning"

face is right, guys. We'd love to have TJ come back...but it'd be a mistake for him to come back.

3/25/2014 3:13:12 PM