Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now? An Open Letter To James Harden

by Cory Williams on Mar 24, 2009 2:49 PM MST in ASU Basketball Comment 5 comments

Mr. Harden,

Allow me to start by thanking you for all of your contributions to ASU's basketball program. Without you, we wouldn't have beaten UA 5 times in a row, or have made it to the Round of 32 this season.

We never would have sniffed the Pac-10 Title game, nor would we actually have been excited come Selection Sunday these past two years. Our winters would be a little bit colder, and Wells Fargo Arena would echo with nothing but the sounds of mediocrity.

We're all familiar with the classic song by The Clash, "Should I Stay Or Should I Go."

This indecision’s bugging me
Esta indecision me molesta
If you don’t want me, set me free
Si no me quieres, librame
Exactly who’m I’m supposed to be
Dime que tengo que ser
Don’t you know which clothes even fit me?
¿sabes que ropas me quedan?
Come on and let me know
Me tienes que decir
Should I cool it or should I blow?
¿me debo ir o quedarme?

Let me make this decision easier for you, James.

College is an experience you will never get back. Take a look around campus. You live in a town where there is a neverending supply of palm trees, swanky pools, beautiful women and little competition for the fan base. In short, you are a god in Tempe.

There is no promise of that in the NBA. The expectations will be sky high, and while we know you're a great player, we aren't ready to let you go just yet. There is a strong chance that we could be a great team next year with the infusion of recruits and the returning confidence of Ty Abbott.

The NBA will still be there for you in 2010, when teams such as the New York Knicks will have both a great draft pick and enough cap room to sign a transcendent talent.

LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwayne Wade, Amare Stoudemire and Chris Bosh are all eligible to be free agents in 2010. Playing with any of those players would be far better than joining the Minnesota Timberwolves (no offense, Kevin Love).

In the end, we all know that taking millions of dollars is a much more prudent decision than staying in school, but don't forget that there is a great coach and a great system in place right where you are, and one more year of college basketball can only make you a better player.

You don't want your final game in maroon and gold to be 10 points against Syracuse, do you? Please come back and light up the winter in Tempe one more time. We certainly won't regret it.

All the best.

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Comments

Let me make it even simpler ...

… you aren’t ready for the NBA. Far too many mediocre teams easily took you out of the game. If you can’t drop 30 on a low-seeded Atlantic 10 team then you don’t belong in the NBA.

by sundevils on Mar 24, 2009 6:03 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

He's "considering" it apparently

LINKY

Might I suggest a daily links post? Just link to anything and everything relating to ASU sports? Many of the other SBN blogs I follow do this and it is great. I come straight to SBN in the mornings to get my news because it is all linked from here. Guaranteed hits every day….

Oh, and Harden needs to stay, but he won’t because he’s still likely a lottery pick. Too bad.

"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan

by Dirk Diggler on Mar 24, 2009 7:56 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

good idea, dirk

House of Sparky - www.houseofsparky.com - Go Sun Devils

by ASUBoyd on Mar 25, 2009 11:56 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Questions

James Harden has a difficult decision on his hands. I believe he should declare for the draft, not hire an agent and workout for as many teams as his family can comfortably afford. After these workouts he should know where he stands and whether or not he’s truly ready for the NBA. I don’t think it’s a question of where he’ll be selected (he’s almost assured top 5 status) but more a question of how much playing time he’ll receive over the life of his rookie contract. If he’s not seeing the floor during his rookie contract years then his second NBA contract won’t be his big pay day (which is generally where the BIG money comes from). The flaws Harden has in his game (weak right hand, weak mid-range game) can easily be worked on while spending another year at ASU and I don’t see him dropping out of the top 10 for the 2010 draft class either. To me the biggest questions to be answered are how much could he improve his two biggest deficiencies by staying another year and how much playing time would he see during his rookie contract years if he left now.

PT-42

by norcaldevilasu on Mar 25, 2009 8:10 AM MST reply actions 0 recs