If itâs true that hard convos in postseason meetings donât have the intended effect anymore with NIL because guys are like, âwhatever, Iâll just stay and clip my 100K and if I donât play thatâs still preferable to starting at a mid major where I wonât get paid,â then I hate to say it, but hard convos need to be followed by hard actions.
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Can we not set up some type of severance pay?
Because it would absolutely be worth just paying Harris whatever heâs owed next year to go play down a level
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Why is that necessary? Tony has the authority to not give him a scholarship next year. Itâs a one year deal.
Agree. The whole internal NIL structure needs to change if scholarship guys at the end of the bench hold all the cards. If that continues, funding will eventually start drying up, and there will be less for guys at the top of the rotation who deserve more. Iâm all for everyone getting a piece, but guys at the bottom of the ladder shouldnât be making more than the annual salary of most undergrads who start their first ârealâ job out of college.
UVA basketballâs greatness strength and weakness, that Tony Bennett is the nicest guy in the sport.
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Except when you bring these players in, you donât know theyâre going to be at the bottom of the ladder. So you pay a premium for retention, which is probably one of the outcomes of the transfers of Morsell, McKoy, Abdur-Rahim, Milicic, Traudt, etc. â for good or bad.
Thatâs why flexibility in managing these NIL deals are critical. Circumstances change and there shouldnât be a structure in place that compensates at the same level for more than 1 year.
We donât know what the structure is. And no way UVa will say what the structure is â donât want to give away trade secrets.
Weâre all just guessing. But base pay is considered very good for our scholarship players.
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Yeah, thatâs kind of the black box piece that is unclear.
If a kid is on scholarship, knows he isnât likely to play (and is ok with that), but stays because he loves the program, loves the UVa community, and wants a degree from UVaâŚitâs hard to push someone like that out just to make a spot.
If a kid stays mainly because he just doesnât want to take a pay cut to go elsewhere, thatâs where the athlete has too much power.
I think another aspect of why the current structure is what it is has to do with the locker room. I have it on decent 3rd hand authority (so feel free to ignore) that Tony was concerned about rifts on the team if some guys make more than others.
Now, that may have nothing to do with it and the equal pay for not equal work is just how the UVA collectives are set up, but it kinda makes sense given what we think we know about Tony.
But, yeah, itâs turning out to be an issue for sure.
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I just think we need to get better at defense. Lets keep it simple bro
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Defense, shooting, and tallness ought to about take care of it
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And, IMHO, the weak link this past season was in the post defense. Presumably, Buchanan will continue to improve (I thought he displayed remarkable progress as the season went along), but we do need a show a stronger defensive presence in the paint. I am a bit anxious to see how Robinson fits, and what he brings to the table. Of course, thatâs just my opinion, but I also think that the pieces are in place WRT to the perimeter offense and defense. Time will tell.
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Nice. Want him in the ACC and itâs not VT. That works, need Miami good again
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Looks like Orlando Lightfoot
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Big men are really coveted in the market but this could be a nice one year rental at the 5 to ease in Buchanan and Robinson. 35% from 3 on Good volume (over 100 attempts) and 1 blocked shot a game.
Already see Michigan State fans talking about him though (from Detroit)
The grass is always greener in the transfer portal! 
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Thatâs like being stuck as a drug addict in a meth den and you want to get clean and sober up but then a fellow drug addict is like âthe grass is always greener on the othersideâ and helps convince you that sobriety is overrated.
Sometimes the grass is actually greener. And once you get to that greener side you love it over there. Even decide to build a home on that green grass. Raise a family on that green grass. And then your kids will one day say âThe grass is pretty green right hereâ
Man we need a fucking commit or transfer out ASAP lol