By all accounts, Melo Trimble struggled last Thursday in the five-on-five workouts at the NBA Combine, before looking better during the Friday scrimmage.
Every Draft Analyst I’ve seen asked about what Trimble should do, has suggested the PG would be best served by returning to College Park for his Junior season. The only quotes I’ve fixated on though, are the words of Trimble himself.
(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)
As transcribed by the Washington Post, Trimble said the following to ESPN after the scrimmage Friday, “I don’t know yet. It’s 50-50 right now,” he said. “I’m just going through the process and waiting until” May 25th.”
Interviewed by Zagsblog / SNY, Trimble went further with his current mind-frame saying, “Just somewhere in the first round,” he said of his goal. “I would be happy to be early second. You look at players in the league like Isaiah Thomas and Draymond Green, they were in the second round. Isaiah was the last pick and you see what hard work gets you. And the other things don’t matter, it’s just how hard you keep working.
Because the Terps are losing Diamond Stone, Robert Carter Jr. and Jake Layman, Trimble knows if he returns next season it will be to a totally different team.
“Yeah, it makes it a lot harder,” he said. “You’re not going to have any starters come back at all. For me to be the only starter coming back, it’s going to be something difficult. But if I go back I also have people that’s been there since I’ve been there, Monte [Dodd], Jared Nickens and Dion Wiley and also Cekof [Michel Cekovsky] and everyone’s going to keep getting better. So it is tough to think about how they’re not coming back.”
Still, he believes they can be strong against next season if he returns.
“We could be really good,” he said. “I think it’s good that people will doubt us because we’re not going to have all the returners back, but in my freshman year we had a lot of people doubting us and we turned it around and we made it to the tournament.
“With the hard work that they’re going to do this summer, and if I’m there that we’re going to do this summer and the fall, I mean anything can happen.”
While cognizant of the fact that he might not be a 1st round selection with a guaranteed contract; he sure sounds like a player that wants to begin his professional career to me.
If he’s comfortable with being a 2nd round pick, and he questions the roster which will be around him after seeing all of his fellow 2015-16 starters leave; I think his decision is clear.
If he returns, it’s because he eventually buys into what the Draft Analysts are saying – that he would benefit by extending his collegiate career.
Some might wonder if Trimble’s personal NBA aspirations would be a distraction for him, if he is back with the Terrapins this coming year. For me, that’s a minimal concern, given that he is a PG (albeit a score first PG). Facilitating for others, will be something that the NBA will be continuing to watch for from him. As such, I wouldn’t be worried about Trimble going all ‘hero ball.’ He will keep his teammates involved.
Let’s review how the roster looks, with and without Trimble.
Without Trimble:
Guards: Cowan, Wiley, Brantley, Huerter
Wing: Nickens, Thomas
Bigs: Gill, Dodd, Cekovsky, Bender
Without Trimble Thoughts & Questions:
1) There would be 3 open scholarships, so maybe someone currently off the radar would still be in a Maryland uniform next Fall.
2) I’m thinking the starting five would be 1) Cowan 2) Wiley 3) Nickens 4) Gill 5) Dodd , leaving the reserves as Brantley, Huerter, Thomas, Bender, Cekovsky.
3) Still 10 deep in usable parts, with true backups at every position.
4) Can Cowan be a consistent scorer immediately? Can he create for others, while being counted to also score? Don’t think Brantley’s role will be tremendously different than last year, but he will be a year older, and in this scenario he’d now be backing up a Freshman. There will be playing time available for Jaylen, slightly more if Cowan has trouble running the offense.
4a) Wiley had a big Summer last year, and many believed he was poised for a strong Sophomore year. The injury wiped out this past season, but the expectation was that he would be fully ready to go this Summer. MD will need him to score, and be the best perimeter defender on the roster. Every new highlight video of Huerter further encourages MD fans. Looks like he has a great shot, and having punch available off the bench will be a positive.
4b) Nickens Sophomore year was generally disappointing. Can he improve on the dribble-drive? Can he do a little bit of posting up? Will the defensive effort be more consistent? Bottom-line with Nickens is that he has to regularly knock down shots. I’m picturing Thomas as the more well-rounded player, but think Nickens experience will give him the obviously leg up.
4c) Our colleague Andrew Feather looked at LG Gill this past week. I’ve heard several different measurements for Gill at this point, but regardless, happy that he is on-board. His experience is a nice addition, and having him as a stretch 4 improves the roster. Can he rebound effectively at this level, and being a bit undersized? Would think that when MD plays more conventional teams, the Terps will have the advantage of being smaller and quicker. If Gill is being exploited against bigger, stronger guys; that will create further opportunities for Bender (and Cekovsky).
4d) Dodd and Cekovsky as the starting and back-up Centers is not a bad thing. It’s not the advantage that Stone provided this past year, but it is two bigs with some ability. The primary difference is that Stone was an actual low-post threat, while Dodd is almost entirely limited to put-backs, and Cekovsky has to improve his hands to even be that. What they are though, are bigs with good size, and some athleticism. They can disrupt shot attempts, and they will enter next Fall as guys with a lot of experience in the system.
5) Wouldn’t shock me if MD made the NCAAT for the 3rd consecutive season, or if they were NIT bound. 6 weeks ago, my opinion was that without Trimble (and Stone, and Carter) that MD would likely be an NCAAT bubble team. I’m a bit more optimistic today. Not because I’m anticipating huge production from Gill; but just because his addition evens out the roster a bit. My current sense is that MD would probably surprise and be in the back of the National Top 25 by year end. Without Melo, and the loss of the other starters from last year – expectations from many would be low. Playing with minimal expectations, Maryland could enjoy being back in the role of the hunter, much like they were in their first year as a member of the Big Ten.
Now the fun part, what would Maryland be like if Trimble returns?
With Trimble:
Guards: Trimble, Cowan, Wiley, Brantley, Huerter
Wing: Nickens, Thomas
Bigs: Gill, Dodd, Cekovsky, Bender
If Trimble decides to return, I definitely think MD will return to the NCAAT, and also think they would be right in the mix with Indiana, Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Michigan State as contenders for the Big Ten Regular Season and Conference Tournament titles. Maybe a step or two behind the Nation’s true elite teams, but in that next mix.
The interesting point for me to think about, is what would MD’s starting lineup look like? The sensible answer is that unlike this past 2015-16 season, there would likely be more variation game-to-game. Or even if the starting line-up remained consistent, we will likely see minutes be dependent on opposing match-ups.
Still, with Trimble back, the bottom-line is that it’s quite possible MD’s two best players will both be PG’s. If you have Trimble and Cowan on the court together getting major minutes, that forces adjustments elsewhere.
Yesterday in the NBA, the Toronto Raptors beat the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. Before the series, Chris Bosh had long been unavailable to Miami. During the series, they lost Hassan Whiteside. On the opposing side, the Raptors lost their Center Jonas Valanciunas. With bigs out on both sides, the last few games of the series saw a lot of small-ball. The Heat were using 6’7, 225 lb Justise Winslow at Center. It made for open court games, with neither team having to worry about a rim protector.
Maybe MD could emulate. They could go with a regular small-ball lineup of 1) Trimble, 2) Cowan, 3) Wiley, 4) Nickens, 5) Gill. Everyone on the roster with the ability to shoot and move. A team that should be capable of pressing and trapping all over the floor. Should be a good passing group, that spreads other teams out. When they are hurt by the size of opposing teams, they can bring in Dodd, Cekovsky, and Bender.
Fun to think about.
9 days until we learn what Trimble decides.
Owner
Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.