MICHIGAN MEN'S BASKETBALL- '23 -'24 Season.

[Mike]

College basketball is just a way station now. It's completely understandable given the money available and the expansion of professional basketball through the G League, but it makes it really hard as a fan to invest much emotional capitol when the team looks completely different from one year to the next.

[WM Wolverine]

Roster for next season doesn't look good. Not sure it's worth recruiting these 5-star types.

[CGVT]

Roster for next season doesn't look good. Not sure it's worth recruiting these 5-star types.

If you are competitive you are going to have to recruit the one and done guys and get a good year out of them. Selling recruits on getting them into the NBA is a good recruiting tool.

They also have to get agressive with the transfer portal and grab a guy or two who blew up at smaller programs or are languishing on some blue chip bench.

[Whitley]

If you want UM to be aggressive in the portal, then the transfer credits have to be relaxed.

I heard a John U. Bacon interview last week, and he said Howard and Harbaugh have talked to admissions about this. Admissions doesn't care. So don't look for any help there.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I had a discussion with my son, Sean, an avid sports fan who loves M sports. We both agreed we're pretty much done getting all worked up about M football of basketball. Up until now, the fall season was filled with anticipation over watching M football. Neither of us are immersed in M basketball but followed it at a distance. Yes, it's June and there's little enthusiasm for football this time of year anyway but neither of us are looking forward to the fall like we used to.

We both agreed the the college sports landscape has changed dramatically over the last decade with the M athletic department and the U itself stuck in the past. Given the realities of NIL and the portal and M's clear inability to optimize these to boost roster talent, we see little value in watching JV caliber M football or basketball play the varsity with little chance of competing on the basis of roster talent alone. The teams in we might have competed with in the past and under the old college sports order are now fully optimizing NIL and the portal. Talent disparities are going to be considerable and no coaching genius is going to deliver consistently wins against top teams in that environment.

[lineygoblue]

We both agreed the the college sports landscape has changed dramatically over the last decade with the M athletic department and the U itself stuck in the past. Given the realities of NIL and the portal and M's clear inability to optimize these to boost roster talent, we see little value in watching JV caliber M football or basketball play the varsity with little chance of competing on the basis of roster talent alone. The teams in we might have competed with in the past and under the old college sports order are now fully optimizing NIL and the portal. Talent disparities are going to be considerable and no coaching genius is going to deliver consistently wins against top teams in that environment.

This. And well said, Jeff.

For Michigan to have any hope of competing with the big boys they'd have to jump it with both feet in the NIL area, and also make it easier for good athletes to attend Michigan. That's not happening, because as Jeff said, M is stuck in the past. They still think Schembechler II is going to mysteriously appear, and take them back to past glories, "the Michigan way". Those days are over. Michigan is being left in the dust by just about every team in the SEC, and not to mention at least two of their main rivals in the B1G.

As a fan, it doesn't pay to invest so much emotional capital into the hopes for success on the gridiron, when the school isn't williing to take steps to at least keep up with everyone else. So, as a fan, I tend to go into protect mode, and just root for my team, but keep in mind that they aren't fully invested in winning in today's world.

Basketball is a total mess. Its hard to build a team the old way, because millions are available to college players after their freshman year. You can't build teamwork, comraderie, or loyalty in just one season. And the transfer portal seems be a mixed bag. Like one step forward, and two steps back.

I'll always be a M fan, but I'll always wonder what they could be like if they were fully committed to winning like other institutions are.

[CGVT]

You can't build teamwork, comraderie, or loyalty in just one season.

Kentucky and John Calipari beg to differ.

[froot loops]

There are some players who see their draft stock rise if they stay, Keegan Murray is an example, but it doesn't happen all that much. The more time you spend in college it stunts your basketball development for the NBA. The NBA has changed a lot in the last 15 years whereas the college game is stuck in the past. If you want to make it in the league and all of these high end prospects do, you are doing yourself a disservice if you can get drafted and choose to stay in school.

[hack]

Basically, yeah, but that's a tad harsh. I don't think guys are punished for staying 2 years. 3 or more and the NBA starts to wonder, but two years seems fine for most of them. Diabate's his family's meal ticket, so that's one thing, but in Houston's case he probably would be a first-round lock 12 months from now.

[Whitley]

Basically, yeah, but that's a tad harsh. I don't think guys are punished for staying 2 years. 3 or more and the NBA starts to wonder, but two years seems fine for most of them. Diabate's his family's meal ticket, so that's one thing, but in Houston's case he probably would be a first-round lock 12 months from now.

There was a very interesting Sunday Free Press article saying the thought was that Houstan was being pushed to go pro by his mother against a ton of advice he stay in school.

[Mike]

Houstan goes to the Magic with the 2nd pick of the 2nd round (32nd overall).

[Whitley]

Yeah mistake for him to leave

[Mike]

Diabate went to the Clippers in the 2nd round, 43rd overall.

[lineygoblue]

I still think both of them will struggle to get off the bench. Mostly mop-up time is in their immediate future.

[hack]

Congrats to both of them. Neither are anywhere near ready to see the court in the NBA, and though I would have dearly loved to have Houstan back, they both got paid to work in their field of choice, so call it a win. Houstan's draft position at the top of the second is a great place to be contractwise. I was hoping the Pistons would nab Diabate undrafted, but not bad value at the spot he was picked anyways for the Clips.

Houstan would have been great to have next year, and Warde & crew made it as hard as possible for Juwan to find a replacement, but coach did a very admirable job in bringing in Youssef Khayat last week. If Jett Howard is as good as advertised, it'll be fine.

Next step is to work on Hunter staying for his senior year. A few IFs here, but if they fall our way '24 is very possibly a contending team: Jett and Hunter both stay, Dug has a great freshman year or Llewelyn gets and uses two years of eligibility, Kobe blossoms and stays. You'd have:

1 - Soph Dug/ Supersenior Llewelyn
2 - Kobe as a junior and likely draft pick
3 - Soph Jett projecting as a lottery pick
4 - senior Terrence Williams
5 - Hunter, sophmore Tarris Reed

Add in sophmore Khayat, who might have early-entry NBA potential, and junior-year Barnes and Tshetter likely ready to contribute. THAT is a heck of a team. Loaded with upperclassmen and with some NBA talent.