Jim Boeheim has earned the right to speak his mind. Unfortunately for his freshman forward Chris McCullough, his words also carry a good deal of scorn.
Boeheim's been the face of Syracuse basketball since 1976. He's won 956 games and made four Final Fours, including one in 2003 that resulted in a national championship. He's sent dozens of his own players to the pros and he's also served as an assistant coach on the superstar-laden Team USA squad since 2006. So his insights on the NBA and the NBA Draft carry a great deal of validity. And to him his freshman forward is no lottery pick, not yet.
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McCullough was expected to come in and be an immediate offensive contributor for Cuse this season, but he's struggled out of the gate. He's scored only 5, 3, and 4 points in his last three games, respectively. Nevertheless, McCullough remains high on NBA mock draft boards, with some even having him in the top ten picks.
"If he's a lottery pick I don't how he could possibly struggle against Colgate," The 38-year coach said incredulously following the team's win on Monday, per SB Nation. "It just doesn't make any sense to me. I got a better chance of winning the lottery...and I don't buy tickets."
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This isn't the first time that Boeheim has disputed one of his own player's NBA prospects. Last year he criticized both Tyler Ennis and Jerami Grant for their decision to go pro early, and he was outspokenly bearish on Donte Greene in 2008 as well. However, to Boeheim's credit, there are also cases when he has publicly encouraged a player to enter the draft early, such as Dion Waiters (in 2012), Jonny Flynn (in 2009), and, of course, a freshman by the name of Carmelo Anthony in 2003.
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