Up until this morning I was on the side that Mika had declared for the NBA but was coming back. The reason…he had not hired an agent. Until I read this:
When a guy says, “it is in my family’s best interest and my best interest” he pretty much means it. Mika only needs one team to want to sign him.
I would say that the Gonzaga game changed it all for him and this year’s draft…until that game, Mika was a dump it down low and grind it out PF playing the Center position. When Rose ran him out in those high pic and rolls, his natural ability shined as well as the way he will be used in the NBA.
It is the best thing for Mika? or would he better served playing one more year at BYU? This is a pretty talented draft and compared to last year’s, it is insanely better and that is the only reason I can think of to ask a guy with his talent to return for one more year.
If this is the last time we see you in BYU blue, let me just say, every moment was a pleasure, all the best my friend.
I think it all depends on what kind of feedback he gets. If he is told he will go in the first round I think it is a done deal. If not then he might stay. I read the article and it is all speculation based on Mika’s comments. Most of it made sense but it is still speculation. I occasionally read those Vanquish the Foe articles and the authors try to be too provocative and they speculate a lot. They tend to be opinion pieces and not news articles. They are OK for what they are but I don’t get too excited about them one way or the other. They kind of remind me of Jay Monson light. As a fan I hope Mika stays but I wouldn’t blame him for leaving if he is a cinch first round pick. With Seljass coming back it is a shame Mika might leave. There might have been some decent depth at every position. Maybe Dastrup will play up to his top 100 billing and if so that would soften the blow a little. Dastrup has size and skill and with some playing time could still be a good one although his upside doesn’t appear to be on a level with Mika.
Frankly I would like to see BYU develop Dastrup and tell Kaufusi to stick to football. It took Kaufusi about 2 months to get his basketball instincts back. I don’t see much value in banking on a guy who will only give you a few good weeks of play if last season is any indicator.
Other BYU big men who might be in the mix, if Mika leaves, are RMs Worthington and Andrus. I don’t think Worthington will ever be anything more than a banger who can eat up some fouls. He might become a decent defensive player but he didn’t appear to have any offensive skills that I can remember. Andrus I thought showed a little promise and may have some talent that can be developed. Childs appears to be a real good one and should be a lot better next year. If Mika leaves a lot of the inside load will fall on him. I have though a bit about what happens if he leaves and I think it may come down to filling his spot by committee and playing different people depending on game situations. I envision Childs playing about 35 minutes per game and 2-3 other guys getting Mika’s minutes. There will probably be a lot of times when BYU goes with Child’s, Emery, Bryant, Seljass & Haws depending on matchups.
If that is our line up, the fans will be going nuts and so will the opposing teams’ offenses. Seljaas and Haws on the floor with Emery and Bryant means Zack will get almost no passes for sure, but he will get to help out on defense lots! He wasn’t too great of a defender himself, but he will look like Stacy Augmon compared to Haws!!
I just mentioned that as a lineup that would be used in certain situations when they want to go small and need an extra shooter. You are right that it wouldn’t be much defensively.
