Dear Josh McRoberts:
I'm not gonna lie, I kinda like you. My friends, they like you too. We don't feel like we got to know you all that well this year, though.
We wouldn't mind, I don't know, another year to hang out.
Even though you're projected to go somewhere in the NBA Draft lottery, it makes sense for both you and me for you to stay. If you come back, you'll be the star of this team. Yeah, DeMarcus Nelson may be the leading scorer or the go-to guy, but you're the personality. Once J.J. leaves campus, you know you'll be the bigshot and wouldn't that be fun?
You got a taste of it this season, but you probably had enough of riding the Player of the Year's coattails. Ask your buddy J.J. if he had a good time this year ruling campus and much of the college basketball world. That can all be yours next year.
But beyond that, think about what you'd be able to do on the court.
This season, you were complementary, standing in the shadow of the Landlord. Every once in a while, you'd throw down one of those monstrous dunks that got Cameron jumping. But you never developed a consistent offensive game. I'm not sure I saw you score with your back to the basket once the entire season.
That's not a knock on you, though. With Shelden in the paint, you rarely had the opportunity to post up. If you come back, you'll be Duke's main big man and you'll get plenty of experience with baby hooks and turn-around jumpers.
Speaking of jump shots, you rarely showcased your mid-range game this season. Even though your 38.5-percent mark from beyond the arc was respectable, 13 attempts is not enough to prove that you can stroke the 'J.'
If you want to be an effective NBA forward, the 15-to-18-foot jump shot needs to be part of your repertoire.
After all, the jumper and post moves are the skills that you're going to need to succeed in the NBA. You're not quite as quick as Amare Stoudemire-who some have compared you to-so you will have to play with your back to the basket or shoot it from mid-range at some point.
Where do you think it would be best to learn these skills? At Duke, in a game-speed situation, where you'll get the guidance and knowledge of the finest coaching staff in the country? Or playing for a playoff-missing NBA squad, riding the pine and getting overshadowed in practice by some 35-year-old bum?
Come back, let Wojo-Duke's 6-foot-nothing big man coach-mentor you on the court. You'll learn to consistently hit the 15-footer, which will bump you up a couple spots in the 2007 Draft.
If these reasons didn't convince you to stick around Durham another year, then you probably want to leave because of the money.
We all know that money is a pretty big deal, but improving your game in Durham for a year will help you financially in the long run.
Any NBA Draft expert will tell you-players make the big bucks on their second contract, not their first. If you make a name for yourself in your first three years, once your guaranteed contract expires, you're in line for the gigantic deal.
What's more, things have gotten cloudier for you in recent days. People have called the 2006 Draft class weak and as a result, early entrants are jumping at the chance to hear David Stern call their names.
This past Monday alone, three players ranked ahead of you in the major mock drafts added their names to the draft list. Rudy Gay, Tyrus Thomas and Adam Morrison pushed you down the draft board quite a bit-possibly out of the top 10.
If you'd rather leave this year and be the 12th or 13th pick and be slightly under-prepared for the NBA, that's okay. Just know that one more year playing in college basketball's most historic arena-something that nearly any kid in America would die for even the slightest chance to do-would not only be fun.
It'd make you a better NBA player in the long-term and it'd make you a top-5 pick in 2007.
It's your choice, but I know about 9,314 people who would love to see you back, and I think it makes sense for you, too.
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