It's just that Danny Green, Sr. does not know that.
The Fayetteville Observer gleaned all sorts of oratory diarrhea from Danny Green, Sr in this article.
“Danny Green is not just testing the waters,” he says. “Everybody’s put that out there, that he’s just testing the waters. Well he’s not. If Danny is going to get drafted and we think he’s going to be able to get a contract, he is going to the NBA. No questions asked. Let’s make that clear.”
The definition of "testing the waters" is entering the draft process without an agent to "test" your value and see if your position improves.
“Look,” Green Sr. says, “as of right now, there is no downside to the situation Danny is in. The whole idea of going to a school like North Carolina to play basketball is to try to position yourself to get into the league, to get a contract. If Danny can realize that dream right now, why not seize the opportunity?”
I don't disagree with his premise except Green is not anywhere close to being able to seize that opporunity right now. Also, two quotes and both times the word "contract" is mentioned. Just saying.
Green Sr., however, makes a convincing NBA salespitch for his son. He points out that after three college seasons, the 6-foot-6 Green already ranks 10th all-time in UNC history with 103 blocks. The nine players above him on that list, including Tar Heel legends like Brendan Haywood, Sam Perkins, Eric Montross and Rasheed Wallace, were all taller than 6-9.
He will tell you that Green is only 20 and healthy and coming off a season in which he averaged 11.5 points while playing only 22.3 minutes. He’ll tout Green’s acclaim as perhaps the country’s top reserve and point to former Tar Heel sixth man Marvin Williams, making more than $4 million per season with the Atlanta Hawks.
And Green Sr. will go further and tell you about his son’s hunger for big moments. He’ll point out how, this season, on a pressure-packed March night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Green stole the show.
A defeat and Carolina would have lost the ACC regular season title. But Green exploded for 18 points, eight rebounds, seven blocks and an iconic dunk over Duke’s Greg Paulus in a 76-68 Tar Heels win.
“Danny played the best game of his life,” Green Sr. says. “He’s been doing that forever. Every time there is something huge at stake, he’s always stepped up. I don’t expect this to be any different.”
1. Danny Green is not: Rasheed Wallace, Brendan Haywood, Eric Montross and he is nowhere near the same zip code as Sam Perkins. You can mention him in the same breath with Haywood, and if you take 2-3 breathes in between you can mention him with Montross and Wallace but you darn well better hold your breath, pass out, wake up, take oxygen in between saying "Sam Perkins" and "Danny Green." Don't get me wrong. I love Green and I love the way he played this season but talking about being 10th in UNC history in blocked shots when UNC has never really had traditional shot blockers is similar to talking about UNC quarterbacks. In the case of Perkins, you are talking about the all time leading rebounder and the 3rd all time leading scorer. You may say Tyler Hansbrough in the same breath with Sam Perkins but that is it. And citing blocked shots as a criteria is rather simplistic. Green blocks shots as a help defender in most cases and has shown himself to be not such a great defender one-on-one or maybe Green, Sr. missed it when Gerald Henderson blew by Green and dunked the basketball during the game in Chapel Hill.
2. Danny Green is not Marvin Williams. I really do not think this needs to be explained.
3. One great game which includes one great dunk does not an NBA career make.
Danny Green Sr. says his son’s goal is to become a first-round pick. But even if he were considered a second-round selection, Green would consider staying in the draft if given a strong indication he can earn a contract.
Green Sr. knows his son will have Carolina on his mind all through this process and will learn a lot at next week’s pre-draft camp. But he also wants outsiders to consider the risk of a career-ending injury next season and the idea that Danny Green is so close to realizing his boyhood dream.
“Danny loves North Carolina,” his dad says. “He loves the campus. He loves the fans. But eventually there comes a point where you have to stop and say, ‘What do I have to do to help myself?’ Right now Danny feels he’s good enough to play in the NBA, and I don’t disagree with him.”
First of all, we have a complete and utter contradiction from what we heard in a previous article. Green, Sr. told the N&O and I quote:
Green Sr. also said after his son first declared that he would only remain in the draft if he was considered a first-round pick.
"If he doesn't, he goes back to playing at a great University,'' Green Sr. said. "Either one of these is a great option for Danny Green Jr."
Secondly, there is this idea that Green is "close to realizing his boyhood dream."
He's not.
Let's call a spade a spade here. Green is not on anyone's radar. He is not on any mock drafts in either round and the fact he will even go to the camp is a shock to me. He is as close to the NBA as Reyshawn Terry is at this point, maybe a little closer simply based on the fact he is in the US and Terry is in Greece. I hope for all the world and for Green's sake he can prove the naysayers wrong and fulfill his dream but if there is one thing this article excelled at was offering counterpoints to the pie in the sky ramblings of the elder Green such as:
Said one NBA scout: “I understand what he’s doing. He’s playing the process to his advantage right now. But I also feel like he’d be making a big mistake if he didn’t pull out and head back to school.”
--
Jerry Powell, a Green family friend and respected basketball trainer in North Babylon, N.Y., has been working with Green over the past month. He loves Danny’s attitude, energy and versatility.
But Powell raises an eyebrow when pressed on whether Green turning pro is a good thing right now.
“Look, guys in the NBA are freaks,” he says. “There are no tweeners. You better have a solidified position. You better understand how to read screens and how to break every possession down. To make it in the NBA, you have to be undeniable. Being good is no good anymore. You have to be two notches better than great.”
--
“With a player like him, it’s pretty simple. Consistency,” says an NBA scout. “He didn’t show great consistency this year. Bottom line. Now we all know there were some off-court things going on with his family. But what every NBA team wants to see is a level of consistency. They want to feel like when the coach puts you in, they can count on getting the same thing every night. Danny Green hasn’t come close to proving that yet.”
I mean, even the family friend is not on board with the effusive praise Green, Sr is spouting. And if one or two NBA scouts have an opinion that low, there is a great chance they all will hold to that line. Even more so since Isiah Thomas is no longer burning 1st round picks in New York.
I fully understand as a parent you tend to see the best and discount the negatives. This strikes me as something more. To me, this has all unfolded like a father who is pushing his son into the draft, not simply because he holds a biased opinion of how good his son is but because he wants something else and I think we all know what that is. And I honestly I hesitate to criticize the parent of a player or even the players themselves but based on these quotes today, it is clear Danny Green is receiving poor counsel from his father. The elder Green is conveying ideas about his son's pro prospects that do not line up with what the experts are saying and draws comparisions with former Tar Heel players which are laughable on their face.
My position is that I hope these players do what is best for them. In my heart of hearts I believe they should make the decision which will maximize their career and future regardless of what it means for the University of North Carolina. In this case I also believe that if Green decides to stay in the draft he will be making a huge mistake. He might shock the world at Orlando but somehow I doubt it at which point it will be very interesting to hear the spin from the elder Green then.