KFAN Korzo says Coffee will NEVER return to Minnesota

It wasn't 50/50 from the outside. That's like saying there is a 50/50 chance it's going to rain in Phoenix any giving day because either it will or it won't.

For whatever it's worth, it's not just Korzo. The rumblings were that Amir was not coming back next year. They started during the regular season. I had a posted where I hinted at it during the last couple weeks of the regular season (it was in response to the total number of available scholarships this year or something).

The idea that Amir was probably not coming back had more to do with the fact that he is old for his grade. His dad is smart enough and helicopter enough to know that you typically only have a certain number of years to play pro basketball and make money. Since Amir is a year older and has some injury history that played into it way more than anything about how he was being used in the program. Richard is not the first or last dad to think his son is not being used correctly. It also doesn't mean that kids leave because of it. NBA scouts get paid to find and evaluate players. They don't rely solely on how they were used in college. Truthfully under this logic, then Richard would've been happier this year because he's always wanted Amir to run the point.
 

He wouldn't have dragged his feet unless he got some strong advice that he'd get at least a 2 way contract.

So, if Coffey doesn't get a two-way contract, will you admit that your claim has no basis and you really have no idea what you are talking about?
 

So, if Coffey doesn't get a two-way contract, will you admit that your claim has no basis and you really have no idea what you are talking about?

Or maybe he was told that he was going to get one and then a guy a team thought would get drafted didn't and then that guy took Amir's spot? It's not black and white like that. His agent obviously had enough interest in one. I have basis off of what his dad and other media people (even Doogie had this "scoop") have been saying. It's not black and white, but it's also not complicated either. However since you seem nice if you'd like to pull this out after the draft and if Amir doesn't get a 2 way contract, you certainly can and I'll gladly agree to your terms if it'll make you feel better.
 

Congrats Korzo. You are now on the same level as Doogie.


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Good for him if he wants to start playing professionally but I don't see him as an NBA player at all.
 


The idea that Amir was probably not coming back had more to do with the fact that he is old for his grade. His dad is smart enough and helicopter enough to know that you typically only have a certain number of years to play pro basketball and make money. Since Amir is a year older and has some injury history that played into it way more than anything about how he was being used in the program. Richard is not the first or last dad to think his son is not being used correctly. It also doesn't mean that kids leave because of it. NBA scouts get paid to find and evaluate players. They don't rely solely on how they were used in college. Truthfully under this logic, then Richard would've been happier this year because he's always wanted Amir to run the point.

I don't disagree with anything you said. I had heard rumblings that Amir was not coming back to the U (I had heard grad transfer (that turned out to be impossible)) or going professional. I hadn't heard the Pitino thing, but I don't think playing him out of position all year helped Coffey's stock at all. But I had never heard any of the stuff that Korzo said about him not returning because of disliking Pitino.

But you're 100% correct about age. Amir had a lot to lose by coming back. He had a lot to gain too, but it wasn't a question of "do I have a better chance of being drafted this year or next year?"
 


Coffey isn't stupid and he has smart people in his ear. He's also not poor so aren't any hanger oners in his circle. His dad spent most of his career in the CBA and he got a cup of tea on a ****ty Wolves team. They would not make this move if they didn't think he could get drafted or get a two way deal

I don't know Coffey and don't know whether or not he is stupid. Regardless, this was a very, very stupid decision. As I said before, the decision was made out of emotion and not logic or reason. What those emotions were could be any or all of a combination of several things - hate for Pitino, feeling that he's being shortchanged by all the scouts (he isn't), entitlement that he deserves to be drafted (he doesn't), and so forth.
 

I don't know Coffey and don't know whether or not he is stupid. Regardless, this was a very, very stupid decision. As I said before, the decision was made out of emotion and not logic or reason. What those emotions were could be any or all of a combination of several things - hate for Pitino, feeling that he's being shortchanged by all the scouts (he isn't), entitlement that he deserves to be drafted (he doesn't), and so forth.

Is it stupid? He will make 150-200K next year in Europe as a minimum. How is that worse than playing for the Gophers?
 



Is it stupid? He will make 150-200K next year in Europe as a minimum. How is that worse than playing for the Gophers?

Is it his dream to play in Europe? Then it's a great decision. Something tells me that's not the case. He has zero shot to play in the NBA following this season. His chances of playing in the NBA after a monster season next year would either be the same (zero) or possibly better - they couldn't be worse. Additionally, it's a year of college ball that he can never get back.

If it's his dream to play in Europe, he could've done that out of high school and not lowered himself to play for the U for 3 years.
 

I don't know Coffey and don't know whether or not he is stupid. Regardless, this was a very, very stupid decision. As I said before, the decision was made out of emotion and not logic or reason. What those emotions were could be any or all of a combination of several things - hate for Pitino, feeling that he's being shortchanged by all the scouts (he isn't), entitlement that he deserves to be drafted (he doesn't), and so forth.
This decision was made after over a dozen workouts with teams, and on the last day possible. Doesn't seem irrational, if it was an emotional one he would've declared and not left the door open to return right away. Seems to me he took his time and weighed his options like a logical person would do and made the decision that he concluded was best

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Is it his dream to play in Europe? Then it's a great decision. Something tells me that's not the case. He has zero shot to play in the NBA following this season. His chances of playing in the NBA after a monster season next year would either be the same (zero) or possibly better - they couldn't be worse. Additionally, it's a year of college ball that he can never get back.

If it's his dream to play in Europe, he could've done that out of high school and not lowered himself to play for the U for 3 years.

I think it's his dream to play in the NBA and if not play professionally.

He could absolutely hurt his stock next season. I think there is a really good chance he signs a two-way G League deal (at a minimum) next season. Production is absolutely weighted against age and he has also had relatively serious injuries in 2 of the last 4 seasons. He absolutely could hurt his stock.

Your weighing chance of playing in the NBA this year vs. chance of playing in the NBA after next year.

Now, let's say he is playing in the NBA by 2021 (either spends a year in the G-League and then comes up, or gets drafted/signed after next year), to him, that would likely mean that he made the right choice. He is making money at a younger age.

My guess is that it was a weighted decision, it wasn't simply a % chance of getting drafted this season vs. % chance of getting drafted next year (if everything goes perfectly).

I actually think it was a good decision for him. It stinks for us.
 

I think it's his dream to play in the NBA and if not play professionally.

He could absolutely hurt his stock next season. I think there is a really good chance he signs a two-way G League deal (at a minimum) next season. Production is absolutely weighted against age and he has also had relatively serious injuries in 2 of the last 4 seasons. He absolutely could hurt his stock.

Your weighing chance of playing in the NBA this year vs. chance of playing in the NBA after next year.

Now, let's say he is playing in the NBA by 2021 (either spends a year in the G-League and then comes up, or gets drafted/signed after next year), to him, that would likely mean that he made the right choice. He is making money at a younger age.

My guess is that it was a weighted decision, it wasn't simply a % chance of getting drafted this season vs. % chance of getting drafted next year (if everything goes perfectly).

I actually think it was a good decision for him. It stinks for us.

Since we are talking in the context of his dream of playing in the NBA, I will take your usage of "stock" to mean "NBA stock". And, again, it would be impossible for him to hurt his NBA stock by next year, because it's impossible to have a percentage lower than zero. At this point in time, he has as much chance of getting drafted into the NBA as you or me.

I really don't think the money has anything to do with it. It's not like he came from poverty and has to be a breadwinner for his family. He's letting his pride and hubris get in the way of rational decision-making. He thinks he's too good for the U (he's not) and that he deserves to be an NBA player (he doesn't).

And, as I stated earlier - if the goal was to go play in Europe, why didn't he do that out of high school? He's already foregone three years of earning potential - "earning potential" being the (poor) argument many are using in an attempt to rationalize this poor decision. This construct falls apart very quickly when you put it in the context of the decisions he's made up to this point.

I would be incredibly shocked if he ever plays a minute in a regular season or playoff NBA game. I hope he proves me wrong, but I'm quite confident that he won't.
 
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DP, in one breath you say you don’t know Coffey personally, then in the next breath you say he thinks he’s too good for the U. If you don’t know him, how do you know the latter is true?

Good luck to Amir. I hope he reaches his dream (NBA). Personally, I would not rule it out.
 

This is probably a good move for Amir if his focus is on playing professionally to earn some money. He was one injury away from being forced to finish his degree and find a job and now he is off on a pretty cool adventure no matter where he ends up (nba or overseas). Of course, he could have come back and had a monster year and been a 1st round pick with a life changing contract but that seems like a long shot - perhaps he and his advisers came to the same conclusion. He can always come back to finish his degree.

Thanks Amir and family! Amir, I appreciate you coming to the U and wish you well in your next phase of life. Represent the Gophers well in your travels!

(Don't listen to anyone here or anywhere else that is down on your skills for the NBA - they forget that hard work can overcome a lot of obstacles - go out and take it)
 

This is probably a good move for Amir if his focus is on playing professionally to earn some money. He was one injury away from being forced to finish his degree and find a job and now he is off on a pretty cool adventure no matter where he ends up (nba or overseas). Of course, he could have come back and had a monster year and been a 1st round pick with a life changing contract but that seems like a long shot - perhaps he and his advisers came to the same conclusion. He can always come back to finish his degree.

Thanks Amir and family! Amir, I appreciate you coming to the U and wish you well in your next phase of life. Represent the Gophers well in your travels!

(Don't listen to anyone here or anywhere else that is down on your skills for the NBA - they forget that hard work can overcome a lot of obstacles - go out and take it)
I hope he works hard on fixing his shot...
 

Since we are talking in the context of his dream of playing in the NBA, I will take your usage of "stock" to mean "NBA stock". And, again, it would be impossible for him to hurt his NBA stock by next year, because it's impossible to have a percentage lower than zero. At this point in time, he has as much chance of getting drafted into the NBA as you or me.

I really don't think the money has anything to do with it. It's not like he came from poverty and has to be a breadwinner for his family. He's letting his pride and hubris get in the way of rational decision-making. He thinks he's too good for the U (he's not) and that he deserves to be an NBA player (he doesn't).

And, as I stated earlier - if the goal was to go play in Europe, why didn't he do that out of high school? He's already foregone three years of earning potential - "earning potential" being the (poor) argument many are using in an attempt to rationalize this poor decision. This construct falls apart very quickly when you put it in the context of the decisions he's made up to this point.

I would be incredibly shocked if he ever plays a minute in a regular season or playoff NBA game. I hope he proves me wrong, but I'm quite confident that he won't.

The bold is simply not true. You are equating getting drafted to playing in the NBA. There are tons of players who signed two-way contracts with the G-League and are now affiliated with NBA teams. Many of those players are getting some NBA run.

Your second point is again, looking at these decisions outside of reality. These types of decisions are sliding scale decisions. Because it might make sense for him to go to the G-League/Europe after his JR season doesn't mean it would have made sense at 19. It's ONE factor (money in hand), it's not the ONLY factor. This isn't that difficult of a concept. It's how we all make a lot of our decisions in life.

As to your last sentence, that sums it up perfectly. Even you, who is arguing that it was incredibly stupid for him to leave early, don't think he will play in the NBA. I am only arguing that there is a just as much of a chance for him to hurt his stock (note, that is chance to sign a deal with an NBA team, not be drafted) by returning as their would be for him to help his stock.
 

I hope he works hard on fixing his shot...

Not having a coach whose offense is the three-main weave with hero ball at the end of the shot clock will certainly help. Most wings don't have to shoot such a high percentage of their 3's off the bounce.
 

Not having a coach whose offense is the three-main weave with hero ball at the end of the shot clock will certainly help. Most wings don't have to shoot such a high percentage of their 3's off the bounce.
None of what you said fixes Amir's shot.
It can be fixed and improved. I always look to Magic Johnson and see his evolution as an outside shooter. The guy was horrid when he started his NBA career, but he trained so that he eventually was a good shooter from outside. Amir will have to do that, but he doesn't have the luxury of Magic's overall skills. It will be interesting to see if Amir can land in the NBA and stick.
 

I hope he works hard on fixing his shot...

And his dribbling, and his first step and his rebounding. Amir is a great college basketball player, seems like a tweener as an NBA prospect, not skilled enough yet to play guard, not strong enough or big enough to play forward. The guys his size playing small forward are higher skill guys, the guys his size playing shooting guard are even higher skill guys.

If he thinks G league is the place to close the gap between where he is now and where he needs to be to make an NBA roster, great. Thanks for some good years, and good luck. But your legacy as a gopher suffers and you don't go in the same category as an Austin Hollins, Nate Mason, etc... who played out their commitment and we got to see the peak of their skills as seniors. And FYI a gopher legacy is likely all he'll have from a playing days standpoint, no one will be standing up and clapping for his ten year return to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and a memorable NBA career seems pretty far fetched.
 


And his dribbling, and his first step and his rebounding. Amir is a great college basketball player, seems like a tweener as an NBA prospect, not skilled enough yet to play guard, not strong enough or big enough to play forward. The guys his size playing small forward are higher skill guys, the guys his size playing shooting guard are even higher skill guys.

If he thinks G league is the place to close the gap between where he is now and where he needs to be to make an NBA roster, great. Thanks for some good years, and good luck. But your legacy as a gopher suffers and you don't go in the same category as an Austin Hollins, Nate Mason, etc... who played out their commitment and we got to see the peak of their skills as seniors. And FYI a gopher legacy is likely all he'll have from a playing days standpoint, no one will be standing up and clapping for his ten year return to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and a memorable NBA career seems pretty far fetched.

Would not call him a great college basketball player. And would not overrate the Gopher legacy issue. They are all just people. At the end of the day few delivered that much success on the court. If i walk downtown with a former Gopher on a business matter, no one even notices.
 

Amir wants to be a professional basketball player. Almost everybody who does mock drafts seems to agree he will not be drafted, but Amir doesn't seem to care about that. That tells me he just wants to get started. Maybe he wants to make some money now that he can; maybe he thinks he can develop more quickly at a low pro level than in college; maybe he doesn't like school or (gasp) Pitino.

Even if he's not in the NBA he'll probably make good money for a 21-year-old, and hopefully he'll be able to do it for a number of years. It's not the choice I would've made, but I understand it.
 

Amir wants to be a professional basketball player. Almost everybody who does mock drafts seems to agree he will not be drafted, but Amir doesn't seem to care about that. That tells me he just wants to get started. Maybe he wants to make some money now that he can; maybe he thinks he can develop more quickly at a low pro level than in college; maybe he doesn't like school or (gasp) Pitino.

Even if he's not in the NBA he'll probably make good money for a 21-year-old, and hopefully he'll be able to do it for a number of years. It's not the choice I would've made, but I understand it.

I think he thinks he can get a two way contract. If he felt he had zero chance to get a two way contract but could make good money overseas then I think he'd be back.
 

Would not call him a great college basketball player. And would not overrate the Gopher legacy issue. They are all just people. At the end of the day few delivered that much success on the court. If i walk downtown with a former Gopher on a business matter, no one even notices.
To be fair on your last point may depend on the gopher lol.

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To me, that is his biggest worry. Any NBA point guard will pick him clean time and time again.

He won't be playing point if he makes it in the NBA. His handle is actually very good for a 6-8 wing and he wouldn't be guarded by NBA PG's.
 


I'll take Ethan Happ as an example, he sure didn't improve his NBA stock his senior year, not sure Amir would either, basketball now becomes a job though, no going back and I hope he knows what that means, if he wants to focus 24/7 on basketball which in all likely hood will result in a decent 10 year career overseas and pretty good money then he made the right choice. Athletes with a limited career span have to approach things differently, for the rest of us staying in college an extra year or two sure isn't a bad thing, we all have 40 years left to work. I wish him the best.
 

Would not call him a great college basketball player. And would not overrate the Gopher legacy issue. They are all just people. At the end of the day few delivered that much success on the court. If i walk downtown with a former Gopher on a business matter, no one even notices.

Just because someone doesn't beg for picture or autograph doesn't mean they don't notice. I've seen Gopher players downtown more times than I can count, but I ignore them because I don't want to bother them and approaching people I don't know is weird to me. I'm sure I'm not alone on that.
 

None of what you said fixes Amir's shot.
It can be fixed and improved. I always look to Magic Johnson and see his evolution as an outside shooter. The guy was horrid when he started his NBA career, but he trained so that he eventually was a good shooter from outside. Amir will have to do that, but he doesn't have the luxury of Magic's overall skills. It will be interesting to see if Amir can land in the NBA and stick.

I thought the point of a shot was to go in.

If you have more set looks than shots off the dribble, more of them (for almost every single player on the planet), will go in.

My point was that a large portion of Amir's problem was the shots he was forced to take rather than the shot itself. I am not saying he is a great shooter, but he is a decent shooter for a wing.
 




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