ESPN’s Mike Greenberg raised some eyebrows recently when he claimed that the UConn Huskies would make the NBA Play-In Tournament in the Eastern Conference. Carmelo Anthony doesn’t agree with him, though, as he reacted to those comments on his 7PM in Brooklyn podcast.
“You think they can win 35 games in the NBA? That’s crazy,” Anthony said. “… These guys are pros, man. Let’s not get it twisted.”
Anthony’s co-host, The Kid Mero, then asked whether a national championship-winning college team could make it to the Play-in Tournament in the NBA.
“The NBA, that’s a man’s league, no matter how young guys come into the league,” Anthony stated. “It is still a man’s league, no boys allowed… That s*** is hard to get there man. These guys that’s there that’s nice as s*** that don’t get in the game on some of these teams. Who can’t find they way but they are talented as s***. Hell no, get the f*** outta here.”
(starts at 0:52 mark):
Anthony praised UConn for the excellence they have shown on the court but made it clear they would have no chance against a team like the Chicago Bulls, which is currently ninth in the East. I would certainly agree with the 39-year-old here.
The Huskies have an excellent 36-3 record this season and have crushed the competition at the NCAA Tournament. They have won every game by double digits and are clear favorites when they take on the Purdue Boilermakers in the NCAA championship game on Monday night.
For all their excellence, though, the Huskies would easily be beaten by teams in the NBA. If they played the Bulls, for example, it would be a blowout. The likes of DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic would prove to be too much to handle.
Anthony himself won a national championship with Syracuse in 2003, but he and his team would have struggled mightily in the NBA. Only the best of the best make it to the league, and even the benchwarmers would give nightmares to players in college.
The disparity in talent is just too high, and it’s still puzzling to me that Greenberg made a comment like that. Maybe he was just trying to go viral and get some clicks. Who knows?
What Did Paolo Banchero Say?
The Kid Mero brought up Paolo Banchero’s stance on this topic in the video. The Orlando Magic star completely disagreed with Greenberg’s comments, and he even went a step beyond Anthony.
“So he said UConn could make the playoffs in the East? No, I don’t think any college team could,” Banchero told Complex. “I don’t know if any college team would win a game in the NBA, honestly.”
I think they might win a handful of games just based on getting hot from beyond the arc, but that’s about it. It’s important to note that the Huskies have a fair few players who aren’t good enough to make it to the NBA, and you can’t really expect to win games in the league when that’s the case.
I do feel it was a bit unfair to the Huskies that Greenberg made those comments. It has taken some of the focus away from just how great they have been this season, and we should celebrate them for that.
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