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Thursday, June 20, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS
Trio of Wolverines projected as potential second-round picks
On June 20, Jordan Poole,
Ignas Brazdeikis and Charles
Matthews will have a new home
— that is, assuming all three are
drafted on draft night. With none
of them expected to come off the
draft board in the first round,
the former Wolverines figure to
be available in the second round
and even after the draft.
“In the second round, you’re
not
drafting
stars,
you’re
drafting guys you expect to make
your team,” said ESPN analyst
Jay Bilas on a conference call.
“You would like to be rotation
players, perhaps one day starters.
But it’s pretty rare that you get
to middle of the second round
finding a star-caliber player. It’s
not unheard of, but it’s pretty
darn rare.”
Bilas had high praise for Poole
and Brazdeikis and believes that
both have shown enough to get
drafted in the second half of
the night. Though Poole seemed
to show more promise with his
shooting and ability to pass, Bilas
admired Brazdeikis’ aggressive
mindset. But regardless of each
player’s pros, Bilas indicated
that both are still raw talents
that have a long way to go before
becoming a staple in the NBA.
“Jordan
Poole
would
be
probably the best prospect of
the three (Michigan players),
I would say,” Bilas said. “He’s
a good creator, I think a good
passer. Did a good job of seeing
open people off of ball screens.
I think he could be a secondary
ball handler in the NBA and
facilitate at times. But a good,
solid shooter. Shot just under
40% from three, makes over 80%
of his free throws.
“I think Ignas Brazdeikis has
a good shot of getting drafted.
I’ve got him ranked right in the
second
round.
Another
guy
that’s got talent,
tough-minded.
I think he has
ability
to
play
in the NBA. He
can score, he can
use either hand.
He shot a pretty
decent percentage
from three.
I
think
he’s
going to continue
to get better. One of the things I
liked about him a lot is he attacks
closeouts, doesn’t shy away from
anything.”
The oldest, and perhaps most
NBA-ready, is Charles Matthews.
In pre-draft workouts, he proved
himself to be one of the best
defensive prospects in the draft
after anchoring Michigan on
that end of the floor for the last
two years.
But on June 8, his journey took
a turn for the worst when he tore
his ACL in a pre-draft workout
with the Boston Celtics. As a
result, Matthews may have to
play his way onto a professional
league roster once he’s completed
his recovery, though Bilas hopes
teams will recognize his motor
and defensive potential on draft
night.
However, with poor shooting
performances
during
the
NBA
Combine
backed
by
subpar
shooting
percentages
as
a
Wolverine,
Matthews’
draft
stock is very much
up in the air.
“I was really
sad
to
see
that
Charles
Matthews
got
injured
because
I think he would
have been drafted,” Bilas said.
“It will be interesting to see
whether
that
injury
affects
that. He’s well-built for an
NBA player, so he’s got size, a
wingspan of 6-foot-9, 6-foot-10.
Can guard multiple positions. I
always saw him as being a solid
defender, he can switch. He’s got
a good motor, plays really hard.”
With former Michigan coach
John Beilein with the Cleveland
Cavaliers, it’s safe to assume that
each Wolverine will get looks
from their college mentor —
Brazdeikis even had a pre-draft
workout with Beilein and the
Cavaliers on Monday.
And
though
nothing
is
guaranteed, expect at least one
of the Michigan trio to have his
name called towards the end of
AKUL VIJAYGARGIYA
Summer Managing Sports Editor
Howard to earn $11.2 million, assistant coaching pool raised
Michigan is paying its head
coach less, and its assistants
more. Thus is the trade-off when
you lose John Beilein and hire
assistants who have held head
college jobs and sat on NBA
benches.
Juwan
Howard,
introduced
last month as the Wolverines’
new basketball coach, will make
$11.2 million over a five-year
deal, per his memorandum of
understanding. The deal was
obtained by The Daily via a
Freedom
of
Information
Act
request.
Annually,
Howard’s
deal
starts at $2 million, going up
by $100,000 in each of the five
years. Unlike Beilein’s contract, it
features buyouts for both parties.
Should Howard be fired without
cause in his first year, it will cost
the Michigan athletic department
$5 million. That number drops by
$1 million in each year of his deal.
On the other side, if Howard
leaves
the
Wolverines
“for
other
basketball
related
employment,” he will owe the
athletic department half of the
University’s buyout for that year.
The lack of a similar clause in the
deal Beilein signed last summer
allowed him to leave Michigan for
the Cleveland Cavaliers without
any financial consequence. If
Howard, who has interviewed for
multiple NBA head coaching jobs,
including this offseason, does the
same thing, it will cost him.
Though
Howard’s
annual
salary is significantly less than the
$3.8 million Beilein was earning,
Michigan upped its assistant
coaching pool by $275,000.
Saddi Washington, the only
assistant coach retained from
Beilein’s staff, saw his annual
salary raised from $305,000 to
$330,000. As for the new guys,
Phil Martelli will earn $450,000
per year and Howard Eisley
$375,000, per their memorandums
of understanding.
Last
year,
assistants
Luke
Yaklich and DeAndre Haynes
earned $300,000 and $275,000,
respectively, with Washington
as the highest-paid assistant.
Martelli now holds that title, in
line with his long career coaching
Saint Joseph’s.
All three assistants are on two-
year deals, with the University
holding an option for a third year.
ETHAN SEARS
Managing Sports Editor
NATALIE STEPHENS/Daily
Former Michigan guard Charles Matthews is one of the top wing defenders in the draft.
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Michigan coach Juwan Howard is set to $11.2 million over five years with the Wolverines.
I think Ignas
Brazdeikis has
a good shot of
getting drafted.