I think if LJ wound up on another team that would have been closer to a bungling. But LJ has basically decided he’s a pro now and didn’t even play AAU this summer. But that leaves two questions:
- Should we have seen the writing on the wall earlier?
- Could we have changed his mind?
For me, it’s really hard to know, based on public (even pay board) info. Maybe we should’ve seen the writing on the wall, or maybe LJ strung us along effectively (or to be fair to them, just changed their mind suddenly - picturing Shareef as Lord Frey saying “The Lannisters send their regards!” - oops, spoiler alert from Game of Thrones…).
I guess maybe we should’ve been more ready with a Plan B, but I feel like our plan B is working out okay: basically, outside chance to get a top 50ish PG still (Chatman or Elmarko), if not, go all in for Ty Davis (or other). And if needed, fill in with a grad transfer in the portal (if Reece leaves early, or we really need a gap filler).
With Green? Meh, I don’t know. I think I was less excited about Green as our PG of the future than many. I kind of got the impression he was being recruited as a “nice piece to have for our guard rotation” not PG of the future. And Miller was probably selling PG of the future (amongst who knows what else).
If we get Davis or Elmarko or Chatman, hard to see it as a bungle, IMO.